SPIDER MAN 5
by KiloWhiskeyOscar
Summary: It's finally happening; Peter and Mary Jane are about to tie the knot and life couldn't be any better for them. But another storm brews over the horizon as Spider-Man attempts to catch the beautiful Black Cat and then bring down underword crimelord Tombstone. But his greatest challenge becomes his most personal one against the mysterious and equally murderous Hobgoblin.
1. Foreseeable Future

Disclaimer: Yo, It's me, it's me; it's KiloWhiskeyOscar. First I'd like to thank everyone for reading SPIDER-MAN 4, I really appreciate the support. I don't retain any ownership of Spider-Man or any supporting characters or villain. Now, in the words of the late Heath Ledger…

"_And, here we go!"

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SPIDER-MAN  
5

Chapter I  
Foreseeable Future

_New York City – The city that never sleeps! The city of dreams! All those corny little nicknames you hear people say. But me, I just call it home! I figured you'd know you I am by now but if not, I'm Peter Parker; the spectacular one himself._

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Peter Parker couldn't bring himself to remember a more perfect day than at that very moment as he gazed at the early afternoon sky; from thirty stories up. He sat on a building ledge next to a gargoyle statue, wearing his Spider-Man costume and grinning like a Cheshire cat. Almost three months ago, he took the biggest figurative plunge of his life when he finally proposed to Mary Jane Watson. There was some apprehension at first; there always was and that was to be expected. They hadn't told anyone other than their immediate family members; MJ told her mother and Peter told Aunt May. Then there was the search for a new place to live; Peter couldn't well have MJ move in with him at the still dingy apartment he'd living. There was so much to do and seemingly so little time. Peter rested his head against the wall, and then turned his sight to the stone gargoyle that appeared to be laughing, which Peter jokingly named Bruce.

"What do you think, Bruce," Peter asked the statue, not really expecting to get an answer. "You think I'm jumping into this marriage too quickly? Maybe I should consider slowing down," The statue didn't, couldn't say anything and Peter deduced his own answer. "I thought not! Thank Bruce; you're a heck of a listener, although I'd prefer someone prettier to talk to."

Peter pulled on his mask and fired a web line, diving off the ledge and into the skyline. It had been so quiet lately, with no major villains running around since the Lizard and Scorpion. There were some minors nuisances from time to time but nothing too enormous that the web slinger couldn't handle. Spider-Man swung on through the buildings until heard a very faint ringing from the streets below and landed on a flagpole. He spotted a group of individuals, thieves of course, leaving the First American Savings Bank with money bags in either hand. Way too early for a withdrawal, Spider-Man figured as he swung after the vehicle, which was racing through traffic like a bat out of Hell. There were five individuals inside, two in the front seat and the other three in the back with the loot.

The driver looked out at the review mirror and spotted the web head rapidly gaining. "Oh, crap! Heads up, guys; we got company!"

One of the other thieves spoke up. "Keep your eyes on the road, son," he spoke with a thick Southern accent as he got up from his seat. "I'll take care of the bug!"

The supposed leader of the group looked nothing like his compatriots; he was dressed in a yellow and brown full body suit and chrome silver boots. He slipped on a similarly colored mask with a single green eye piece, followed by a pair of chrome silver gauntlets onto his forearms. The leader opened the double doors of the van, spotting Spider-Man rapidly approaching from behind. Wasting no time, the thief reared back one arm and let loose a blast of compressed air, for which Spider-Man was ill-prepared. The web slinger was sent flying in the opposite direction before impacting an oncoming police cruiser, while another one passed by. Spider-Man picked himself but could feel his teeth chattering, looking behind to see two shell shocked officers staring at him.

"Um, sorry!" he quipped, firing a web line and continuing his pursuit.

The two cops watched Spider-Man swing away and then looked at each other, both stunned. One had the gall to ask, "Did you see that?"

The lone police cruiser continued its chasing of the getaway van, which kept weaving in between traffic. The man in the suit fired another compressed air blast, this time with both arms, at the front wheels of the cruiser. The blast flipped the car forward, up and over and it came to a halt, while Spider-Man swung passed it and after the van. The shocking man or Shocker more accurately, fired at Spider-Man, who was able to dodge the air blasts in midair. The van made a sharp left turn, throwing Shocker and his goons off balance.

"Where'd you learn to drive, boy?" Shocker bellowed.

"Sorry, boss!" yelled the driver in defense.

The van was coming up near Grand Central Terminal when in was suddenly stopped dead in its tracks. The sudden jerking sent Shocker and his goons crashing into each other and the rear doors to shut. It was Spider-Man who was responsible, having snagged the van with a thick net of webbing attached to the axel. The driver literally put the pedal to the metal, bringing an unfavorable result as the axel was pried away and rendered the vehicle useless. Spider-Man landed on a nearby street light as the double doors were blasted off, and Shocker emerged from the wreckage.

"Nice outfit," Spider-Man quipped. "Let me guess; The Cushion or maybe, Mr. Triple Ply?"

Shocker couldn't help but chuckled at the wisecracking hero. "You're a funny guy, but a sense of humor ain't gonna be enough save you."

Shocker let loose another blast at Spider-Man, who leaped out of the way. The street light wasn't so fortunate. Spider-Man kept swinging through the air, dodging one blast after another. Shocker, surprisingly, kept his cool and waited for the right moment to blow the web slinger away, but the hero had other ideas. Spider-Man swung directly at Shocker, both feet extended. The ensuing impact wasn't what Spider-Man expected as he felt like he hit a wall before crashing into the street. Shocker had erected a force field before the impact. Shocker tried going for an old school punch but missed when Spider-Man avoided it and stainless steel met concrete. Spider-Man kipped up and leapt over Shocker, landing behind the villain and grabbing him. Shocker had an answer for that; he vibrated his entire body and it was enough to shake Spider-Man off. Spider-Man fell backward but still managed to kick Shocker's feet out from under him. Shocker tried to blast Spider-Man but he back flipped away before leaping into the air and clung to a wall. Shocker got up and tried another compressed air blast with both arms but Spider-Man webbed up both arms.

Shocker vibrated his arms free as he and the hero reached a stalemate. "You got skills, hawse. I respect that in an opponent."

"So does that mean you're gonna surrender?" Spider-Man asked.

"Sorry to disappoint, hawse," Shocker said. "Being that my business is strictly professional, I'd like to finish this here and now, nothing personal!"

That being said, Shocker took yet another shot at Spider-Man, who leapt away again. The air blast impacted the wall, leaving a large hole. Spider-Man swung over to the crippled van, where one of the goons tried to ambush him. Fat chance of that! Spider-Man effortlessly back punched the goon, then yanked off the back metal bumper and leapt back into battle. Shocker kept air blasting at the web slinger, each blast dissipating in midair while Spider-Man kept swing around him with the bumper in hand. Finally, Spider-Man landed behind Shocker and swung the bumper. Shocker instinctively aimed both gauntlets, and they slammed metal on metal into the bumper. There followed a large blast that blew both Spider-Man and Shocker back in opposite direction. Shocker seemed to get the worst of it; his hands were trembling and the gauntlets were heavily damaged. It was then that the villain realized he was defeated as Spider-Man swung toward him and landed.

"Damn," Shocker cursed, knowing he lost this fight. He removed his mask to reveal a man in his mid 30's and his nose appeared to have a nosebleed. "I guess you got the best of me, hawse. I surrender!"

Spider-Man was slightly taken aback by this mans' honesty. "Wow, that's a first; a criminal surrendering. I must be making a heck of an impression on the underworld."

The man unofficially known as Shocker picked himself up just as some new police cruisers were arriving. "It's like I said, my business is strictly professional. So I ain't gonna hold a grudge."

Spider-Man fired a web line and swung out of the area, while Shocker remained where he was to be apprehended. The hero webbed up the other thieves to ensure they would escape before the police arrived to take them all into custody. Meanwhile, Spider-Man landed in an out of the way spot to pick up his camera before again swing away to parts unknown.

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"Okay, MJ! Show me some of that animal magnetism."

Mary Jane was certainly more than happy to oblige as she struck a series of poses for the camera man. She was looking as attractive as ever in a tiger skin leotard and matching headband. She'd been on a roll as of late, appearing on a series of magazine covers and she more often than not looked like she needed her smile surgically removed. Roderick Kingsley watched the young redhead from behind camera, a single cigarette between his index and middle fingers. Mary Jane could feel the fashion mogul's piercing gaze on her, though she didn't feel as apprehensive. She sensed that something was different about Kingsley. Maybe it was woman's intuition! Hell, maybe MJ develops her own spider-sense! Whatever the case, MJ felt as if she was facing an entirely different version of Roderick Kingsley. Speaking of whom, Kingsley glanced at the clock that was about the double door exit and clapped his hands.

"Okay, people, that's enough for today," he said with added enthusiasm. "We'll pick this up again at a later date. Well done, everybody," Kingsley noticed Mary Jane covering herself and approached. "You've been on fire as of late, Mary Jane, and you've been very chipper as well."

"Well, sometimes a person can have a great day or two," MJ said, brimming with new found confidence and a pearly white smile. "A lot can happen in the span three months when you least expect it."

Roderick nodded in the affirmative. "Indeed, I don't deny that. I think it'd wise to assume your happiness is due to certain photographer."

MJ looked at Roderick with an innocent, yet guilty smirk. "I guess you can read me like a book."

As if on cue for a play, Peter Parker popped into the studio and found his fiancé. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Mary Jane's smirk grew wide and she rapidly approached and hugged him, followed by a kiss. MJ broke the kiss, and then slapped him on the chest gently. "Where have you been, Mr. Parker?" she chuckled.

"Oh, you know…" Peter quipped. "Here, there and everywhere in between! Being a photographer is a tough job."

"You think that's bad," Mary Jane jokingly asked. "You should try wearing a leotard."

"I think I'll pass."

Roderick Kingsley grunted to make his presence known. "Mr. Parker, I gave you explicit instructions not come to the studio."

"Sorry, Mr. Kingsley," Parker half apologized. "But, rules were made to be broken every now and then."

Kingsley smirked. "Well, I suppose it can't be helped. I understand you two be getting married very soon."

"Yes, we will," Mary Jane confirmed. "By this time month, we'll be Mr. and Mrs. Peter Parker."

Roderick Kingsley nodded his approval. "If that is the case, I wish you both a very happy and healthy future together. Consequently, if you two ever need anything, you can always come to me."

"Thank you, Mr. Kingsley," Peter said, inwardly feeling uneasy at this man's sudden generosity. "But I think we can handle ourselves in the coming weeks."

"Nonsense, Mr. Parker," Kingsley said, cocking an eyebrow. "It's the least I can do," Kingsley glanced at his watch. "If you will excuse me, I've some prior engagements that require my attention. Take care of yourself and Mary Jane, you can have the rest of the week off."

Mary Jane nodded and before she could say another word, Roderick Kingsley was already gone. That was weird! First the man was all generous and kind, and then strangely enigmatic! Peter was suspicious to say the least; in fact, last time he was confronted by Kingsley, Peter spider-sense went off. This time, there was no warning. Maybe a glitch, who knew for sure? No one knew, so Peter dismissed it as he and Mary Jane walked out of the studio together.

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Around the late hours, the First National Bank was locked up tighter than Riker's Island. Only a small skeleton crew of security guards was on hand to keep things in check. The usual paranoia would always be present, with some guards ranting about the possibility of the Sandman coming to make an illegal withdrawal. Scary stuff! Hell, it was scary when the guards read the Daily Bugle clippings of Spider-Man in the black suit. And what was that monstrosity that resembled a giant scorpion? How many of these freaks were there? In any event, two guards were seated in the security room. They kept a keen eye on the vault, where millions upon millions of dollars in gold bar and jewelry was kept. One guard had the audacity to start his coworker.

"Jeez, Baker, you gotta stop sneaking up on me like that. I'm liable to have a heart attack."

"Stan, you'd be lucky to go insane being so wound up like this," Baker said. "What's got you so uppity anyway?"

Stan pointed his thumb at one of the screen. "4 million dollars in jewelry, that's what's got me uppity."

"So?"

"So, it's just way too tempting if you ask me," Stan reiterated. "We already heard about the robbery at First American earlier today."

"Relax, Stan," Baker assured his worried friend. "The web head caught the guys and the money was returned."

"Yeah, but Spider-Man can't be everywhere at once." Stan insisted.

Baker shook his head. "Hang here, pal! I'll get you a cup of coffee because you need it bad."

"That's not all I need, if you know what I mean."

The last comment brought out a small chuckle from Baker as he headed out of the security room into the hall. Baker walked down to dark hall with a flashlight in one hand toward some wayward coffee machine, footsteps echoing. He absent mindedly passed by the vault, not knowing that there was some activity within. There was someone in the vault but they hadn't tripped an alarm, nor had this thief been spotted by the camera. The thief had rigged the camera beforehand so it would play the 15 second image in a loop. This person, whoever it was, appeared to be a master thief in every sense of the word as they repelled from the ceiling. The thief pulled out a single deposit box and managed to carefully crack the locking mechanism. The box opened and inside was a marvelous collection of a diamonds, which the thief dumped into a small bag before carefully replacing the now empty box. The thief did the same thing with three more boxes until the bag was filled. The heist now finished without a hitch, the thief repelled back up to the ceiling but not before stopping facing the still rigged camera. The thief mockingly blew a kiss to the camera before disappearing from the vault, and the security guards were none the wiser.

The thief ascended to the roof of the bank with the bag in hand, opened it and the diamonds glistened in the moonlight. "Well hello, beautiful!" She, a woman, whispered.

Tying the bag to a belt, the thief bounded off the roof and disappeared into the night.

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Author's note: There we go, chapter 1 is finished. I dare you to guess whose the primary villain in this one. Oh yes, and um don't forget to read and review. (I knew I forget somethin'!)


	2. Priorities

Disclaimer: Good evening, infidels! Sorry about that! Too much Jeff Dunham! I do not, I say DO NOT, own the rights to Spider-Man or the supporting characters. Now if you will please:

SILENCE! I KILL YOU!

SHUT UP, ACHMED!

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Chapter II  
Priorities

Nobody said finding a place to live after marriage was an easy thing, and whoever did was a damn liar. Peter was obviously learning the hard way as he and Mary Jane searched for a new home in the city. Mary Jane at one point suggested Peter moved in with her temporarily until they could agree on a decent place. At least Peter didn't have to worry about Mr. Ditkovich breathing down his neck regarding the rent. After several pain staking weeks of searching, the soon-to-be newlyweds found a quaint little apartment building on the Upper West Side. It was small to be sure, larger still than Peter's old place, but small none the less.

"It's now or never," announced the landlord of the apartment, an African-American woman in her early 50's. "With a rent of eight hundred a month and three bedrooms, it's pretty much a steal. I got another young couple who'll take it if you're not interested."

Peter seemed to be in denial, scratching the back of his head. "I'm not too sure. Maybe we should keep looking for…"

"We'll take it!" Mary Jane suddenly announced much to Peter's astonishment.

"I'll make the arrangements and you two can move into your new home."

Peter nodded to the landlord as she left, then turned to Mary Jane. "Why do you want to live, MJ? It's too small, it's too high up and it's…" Peter was cut off a second time by Mary Jane putting her index finder over his mouth.

"It's too bad you keep forgetting how much I love you, Mr. Parker." Mary Jane drew herself into Peter and the couple shared a kiss.

After a minute, the couple broke of the kiss and Peter said, "I hope this is how you plan to settle all our arguments."

Mary Jane smiled. "If not, I can think of some _other_ methods."

Peter couldn't help but smile at his fiancé's rather interesting sense of humor. Maybe this marriage deal wasn't going to be such a bad idea after all. One could hope!

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A few hours passed by like they never happened, as Peter and Mary Jane, and a moving company brought the necessary furniture into the new apartment. Peter and Mary Jane brought up their own individual items from their previous homes. Nothing serious, just the essential thing-a-ma-jigs! Anything they didn't need was sent to the local pawn shop for additional cash if it was needed. Soon enough, everything was in order and all that remained was the inevitable paperwork. Once that was done, Peter and Mary Jane took some time to get truly settled into their new home, looking out the window into the sun lit sky.

"Hey, Peter," Mary Jane said, breaking the brief silence. "Have you talked to aunt May lately?"

Peter shook his head lightly. "Not since I told her about our engagement. She's been kind of distant lately. It's probably due to her being all alone in her own apartment. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I was thinking maybe we should have her move in with us," Mary Jane said, earning a gaze from Peter. "I mean, she's all alone in that one apartment, like you said."

Peter went quiet for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, he said, "Well, I can try to talk to her about when I get a chance."

Mary Jane cupped Peter's in one hand. "You better not go flying around the city looking for another bad guy."

"It isn't my fault there's always a bad guy running around," Peter mumbled like a fool. "Can I have my face back, please?"

Mary Jane giggled and let go of Peter's face. "Sorry, but you have to admit, that's was kind of funny."

All Peter could do from then on was smile.

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The waterfront district of Roosevelt Island would conceivably be considered the last place for any form of activity, especially in the considerable daylight. No one could comprehend the goings on inside one of the houses. An assortment, make that an arsenal of machinery and weapons, was strum around a makeshift workshop and waiting to be found. It wasn't just any type of arsenal. Spider-Man would have recognized all of it since it used to belong to Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin. No longer! It seemed that somebody had clean out the hidden lair from the Osborn estate, taking the equipment with them. But why? A door opened at the front of the warehouse, where a single individual stepped into the shadows. His face was obscured by the shadows, but he was the same man who discovered the Goblin's lair. He sauntered around the workshop, glaring into a series of display chambers housing flight suits. There was of course the first Goblin suit, worn by Norman Osborn. He was the first, but most certainly not the last. In the next chamber was the New Goblin suit, once worn by Harry Osborn who succumbed to the Goblin legacy in a misguided attempt to kill Spider-Man. Another chamber stood next, housing a new, dual colored suit. The man felt a faint vibration in his coat pocket, pulling out a cell phone and answering it, putting it on speaker mode.

"What do you want," the man asked with an air of annoyance in his voice.

"You've been ignoring my calls as of late," said a distorted voice. "I'm beginning to think your commitment to me is waning."

"Then allow me to confirm," the man snapped. "I'm done with you. I have other projects in mind and I don't have the time or patience to deal with your plans."

"Then I suggest you drop them, lest I said my best people to deal with you."

The man balked at the notice that someone would get to him in any way, shape or form. "Don't even bother trying to scare with idle threats. Keep in mind I've not exposed you to general public. They still believe you a philanthropist, but what will happen if they find out your _other_ occupation?"

"How will anyone find out about me if you're dead?"

Angered, the unknown man hung up on the voice and violently threw the phone across the area. The phone crashed into the wall, bursting into pieces and falling to the floor. The man slammed his hands onto the table and sighed heavy, glaring blankly at the Goblin arsenal. He picked one of the copper colored orbs, or pumpkin bombs, examining its infrequent design. A small switch was pressed, inadvertently or not, causing a series of tiny green lights to blink rapidly. The man tossed the now volatile orb far from the workshop. It impacted the far wall and detonated, being accompanied by a shriek of sorts. Seeing the action brought a sly smile to the man, now believing himself having an ideal solution to his dilemma. But first, he had to ensure that the steps in which Osborn was driven insane were not repeated. Thinking as such, the man gazed at one last chamber, which housed the canisters containing the performance enhancer formula. No way with the man going to end like the Green Goblin. By and by, he'll be something even worse.

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Peter hadn't seen much of aunt May since the day he told her of the impending marriage. He was quiet since he got to the apartment in which May lived, having said nothing other than "Hello," to which May welcomed with open arms and a smile. Since then, Peter had taken a seat on the sofa while May was in the kitchen making a cup of tea. Peter sensed that something was off about his, and he didn't a spider-sense for that. May seemed so quiet lately, yet Peter didn't dare question his aunt. He briefly turned his attention to the television, watching the news regarding a late night robbery from the First National Bank. The new police captain was on screen being interviewed, being identified as Jean DeWolff. Peter had heard of her and DeWolff had made it clear that she wasn't a big fan of costumed nut jobs. That included Spider-Man! Peter conjured up a mental image of DeWolff and J. Jonah Jameson having brunch together, discussing their collective distain of the web slinger. Aunt May finally came over to her nephew, two cups of tea in her hands and handing one to Peter. May took a seat next to her nephew, still beaming with an infectious smile that could light Time Square.

"Thanks for seeing me, aunt May," Peter said. "I really appreciate it after the, um, news."

May gently shook her head. "There's no need to thank me for anything, Peter. You know you're welcome here anytime," May took a brief sip of tea. "So, how've you and Mary Jane been doing?"

"Things couldn't be any better," Peter said, sipping from his cup. "Mary Jane's modeling gig's been really successful. I've been getting reasonably paid for the Spider-Man photo…"

"That's not what I meant, Peter," May said, chuckling with each word. "I mean, how is the progress of the engagement?"

"Oh," Peter quipped almost unintentionally. "Well, it's going great; we finally found a place to live after the wedding and we're in talks about where to spend our first honeymoon."

"Sounds like you have a lot going on at the moment," May said. "Maybe too much at one time. Trust me; I've been through the same thing before I married your Uncle Ben."

"Yeah, I guess," Peter said. "Actually, that's kind of the reason I came to see you. See, with me and MJ getting married soon, we figured we could possibly ask you move with us."

May was silent for a moment, and then said. "I see!"

"I mean, you've been living in this apartment for so long, alone," Peter continued, setting his tea down on the coffee table. "I think it'd be good for you to be with family. You and Uncle Ben took care of my parents died and raised me as if I was your own child. I just want to be able to repay you for that."

Aunt May mimicked Peter earlier action and set her tea on the table before taking her nephews' hand in her own. "Peter, I appreciate what you're doing and I love you for it, but I'm afraid I have to decline the offer."

"Aunt May, c'mon," Peter wondered aloud. "I'm not trying to say that this place is bad, but you don't have to be alone like this."

"Peter, that's enough," May laughed. "I'm never really alone; Ben is always even though I see him. He's always with you as well. Besides, a new home is meant for a young couple beginning a new life together. What good could an old girl like me do?"

May stood up and Peter followed suit. He had to admire his aunt's independence, God bless her. "C'mon, aunt May. There's a lot of good you can still do."

"Thank you, dear, but my mind is made up," May said. "Still, I appreciate the gesture. Just promise me that you'll be there for Mary Jane when you're married. A husband must be honest to his wife and be there for her when she needs him most. I know in my heart," May pointed to her chest. "…that you can be that man."

Peter smiled at May's words, always a moral compass was she. "Yeah, I promise, aunt May. I won't let you down."

"That's all I could ever ask for."

Peter hugged his beloved aunt May, who for so long had been more like a mother, and headed out the door into the hallway. Before leaving, Peter turned back to May.

"Are you sure you won't reconsider the offer?" he asked.

"Don't worry about me, Peter," May said assuredly. "I'm still capable of taking care of myself."

Peter just thought he'd ask. No harm in that, really! Peter took a few steps backwards, keeping aunt May in view until he turned and headed the hall. After she'd the doors, May leaned back against the wall and sighed heavily. It was a sort of cruel irony that she told Peter about being an honest person, when she herself couldn't be honest to him about what was going on with her. Was it selfish of May to keep her current condition secret from her own nephew? Only time could tell.

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Peter stepped out the front entrance of the apartment building into the bright afternoon air, big city insanity and all. There was a newsstand on the sidewalk and Peter decided to grab a paper, maybe find a crossword puzzle to solve before heading home. He found himself balking at the front page headline which read: CAT BURGLAR STRIKES AGAIN! SPIDER-MAN WANTED!

_Not again!_

Peter huffed in frustration and absentmindedly stormed off, being verbally confronted by the owner of the stand. "Hey, buddy, you gonna pay for that?"

Peter knew he forget something, reaching into his pocket and pulling on a one dollar bill and a quarter. "Keep the change!" he said and strolled off.

The headline was obviously the handy work of old Fuzz Head, AKA, J. Jonah Jameson. One would think that after Spider-Man saved his wrinkly buttocks from Scorpion, ironically his own creation, Jameson would at be a tad grateful. Of course, that's was too much to ask. Peter had half a mind to storm into the Daily Bugle and give Jameson a mouthful of webbing to shut him up. But that would only end up maddening the already unhelpful, not to mention expose Peter's secret identity as Spider-Man the whole city. Peter decided to ride it out for the time being until he had a chance to confront Jameson about the headline. Still, he had a sneaking suspicion that he'd cross paths with this so-called cat burglar sooner or later.

Preferably sooner rather than later!

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Author's note: That should clinch Chapter 2. This is the part where you leave a review or two, ask a question and/or post of funny comment. Whatever you want, just read and review. Stay tuned for Chapter 3.


	3. Social Hospitality

Disclaimer: You know what I'm gonna say so let's skip that part and move on to chapter 3.

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Chapter III  
Social Hospitality

Ned Leeds was, if anything, ambitious about his job. Sometimes this ambition resulted in major pay dirt that got him in good graces with J. Jonah Jameson. Other times, it got him in more trouble than he really wanted. Ned was scalded severely by the boss for his failure to provide proof than Curt Connors transformed himself into the Lizard. Jameson didn't buy that notice for a second, even though he was there when the Lizard fought Spider-Man. Jameson considered it coincidence that Connors was there, assuming the monster had abducted him. Besides, Jameson respected Connors, and Jameson himself had a guilty conscience after the Scorpion fiasco. Ned didn't pry on that. He liked his job too much and he didn't want to end up like the other guy Jameson fired over false news. What was that guys' name? Ned didn't have the time to remember that, as he was waiting outside the New York Police Department to land an interview with Capt. Jean DeWolff. According to officers that Ned had interviewed, Jean DeWolff was a hard-nosed, no nonsense but honest cop. She had an odd affinity for classic 1930's cars and her choice of clothing seemed to reinforce that info. Speak of the devil; Jean DeWolff stormed out of the precinct and Ned Leeds followed. DeWolff noticed and audibly sighed.

"Capt. DeWolff! Ned Leeds with the Daily Bugle; I'd like to ask you a couple questions."

Capt. DeWolff walked by Ned like he wasn't there, but still shouted. "I got no comment, Leeds."

As usual, Ned wasn't willing to go home quite yet. "Word is that the authorities are implicating Spider-Man in the recent string of robberies, even though there's no physical evidence to support that claim. Care to comment on that, captain?"

Capt. DeWolff turned around so she was face to face Ned. "No Comment!" she said, each word being accompanied by a finger to Ned's chest.

The captain walked off but Ned was damn near relentless, following DeWolff to her car. As soon as DeWolff got into the driver's seat, Ned literally hopped into the passenger seat. Much to the captain's increasing annoyance!

"Leeds, I swear to God," she warned, grinding her teeth. "I'll have you arrested if you keep this up."

Ned actually had the gall to mockingly quip, "Wow, you're beautiful when you're angry."

Capt. DeWolff covered her face with one hand, keeping the other hand on the steering wheel. "You're treading on very thin ice, Leeds. Now get out of my car."

Ned sighed, half-defeated and stepped out of the car. But he didn't leave, much to the captain's chagrin. "Okay, off the record captain! You honestly think Spider-Man's to blame for these robberies?"

"Well, who else is there?"

"What about the rumors of a so-called Big Man orchestrating all the crime in New York?" Ned asked matter-of-factly.

"A Big Man," DeWolff wonder aloud, gawking at Ned as if he'd just grown an extra head. "That's about as likely as spotting Big Foot strolling through Central Park. As far as Spider-Man goes, he's as much a danger to this city as the lunatics he's fought. Now for your own sake, Leeds, drop the Big Man talk before you get dropped."

Capt. DeWolff started her car and, not waiting for Ned to release the door, drove off. Ned almost lost his hands when the car sped down the street. That went well!

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Peter hadn't been at Columbia University for a couple of months after he'd graduated. It was kind of a necessity after he purposed to Mary Jane the month before. But Peter was actually looking for Dr. Connors, having not seen him since the Lizard incident. At least he had his office/lab fixed but there wasn't any sing of the good doctor. A part of Peter feared that Connors had a relapse back into his reptilian alter ego. Peter noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. It appeared to be a birdcage, and inside was anything but a bird; a bat. First lizards, now bats! What next; a vulture?

"Dr. Connors, are you here?" Peter asked. He failed to notice someone else entering the lab.

"I'm afraid you just missed Dr. Connors by no less than 24 hours," The man announced in an eastern European accent, startling Peter. "He only recently moved out of New York with his family."

Peter was taken aback by the news of his teachers' departure, but really couldn't blame him for it after everything he'd been through. "Oh, well I knew about his leaving beforehand, but I didn't expect him to leave so soon."

The man entered the lab and approached Peter, who didn't sense any danger from him. In spite of that, the man wore grayish-black trousers, black boots, a navy blue shirt and a black trench coat. He appeared just slightly younger than Dr. Connors and sported jet black hair down to his shoulders. The biggest thing about this person was his pale skin, as if he were very ill; or dead. Suffice to say, Peter was somewhat intimidated by the man's appearance but there no danger nonetheless. At least this man had a friendly demeanor, so what did Peter have to fear from him?

"Can't be helped I suppose," the man said, approaching Peter and hold his hand out. "My name is Michael Morbius; I'll be replacing Dr. Connors. I assume you're Peter Parker, are you not?"

"I'm not, I mean I am! Peter Parker, that is," Peter fumbled on his own his words. "Wait, did you say your name was Morbius?"

"Yes, I do believe I've mentioned that a time or two." Michael quipped, raising his eyebrows.

"You won the Nobel prize for your theories on genetic restructuring in nocturnal animals." Peter said, ecstatic that he'd finally met _the_ Michael Morbius.

"I see you've done homework on my exploits," Michael said. "Actually, I'm an old friend of Curt Connors. He spoke very highly of you, Parker. That and that you occasionally fell asleep in class."

Peter tried to laugh it off, even though the last part was true. "Well, we all have our off days."

The conversation was interrupted by a faint grunt, and female. Michael and Peter turned toward the entrance of the lab. Standing at the door was very attractive woman with platinum blonde hair flowing down passed her shoulders. For a split second, Peter almost mistook the woman for Gwen Stacy. She appeared very well refined, wearing exquisite clothing and pair of glasses, which usually meant she had a particular standing in society. Michael's smile grew wider at the site of the woman as she entered the lab with a smile on her face.

"Michael, I do hope you aren't harassing this young man."

Michael chuckled. "I wouldn't dream of it. This young man is actually one Curt Connors' former students; Peter Parker. Peter, this is Felicia Hardy, heiress to the Hardy Foundation and the love of my life."

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Parker." said Felicia as she held out her hand.

Peter accepted the gesture. "The pleasure is mine, Ms. Hardy."

"Please, call me Felicia! I'm not too fond of formalities. Parker; now I know you. You're the Daily Bugle's freelance photographer for the photos of Spider-Man. There're very impressive."

"They are indeed," Michael added. "But I can't help but wonder how you always get those fantastic angles. What's your secret, Parker?"

"Um," Peter stumbled in his search for a decent answer. "A good telephoto lens and a lot of luck, I guess."

"Well, regardless, I think Spider-Man is a fascinating individual," Felicia said. "And he must be rather handsome under that mask."

"I'm in the room, Felicia." Michael pointed out.

"Sorry!"

"Peter, you say that it's simply luck that you're almost always able to get the photos," Michael said. "But somehow, I believe there's more to it than that."

"Michael, it's impolite to pry into someone else's business," Felicia reprimanded Michael, who just shrugged. A faint squeaking sounded and Felicia gazed at the birdcage with the bat. "Did you have to bring that little rodent with you? It's so…creepy!"

Michael sauntered to the cage and picked it up. The bat was hanging upside down and flapping its leathery wings wildly. Peter could to tell the little mammal wanted to get out of the cage and into the world. Michael slowly but mockingly inched the bat toward Felicia, who backed away and shivered at the mere sight of it. As Peter looked on and chuckled, he inwardly hoped that Michael Morbius wasn't making any future plans to mess around with bat DNA. The last he needed was a Dracula type villain running around, sucking the blood out of everybody in the city.

"Get that thing away from me, Michael," Felicia begged, her bluish-green eyes literally bugging out of her face. "You know how much I loathe bats; especially vampires."

"I told you, Felicia," Michael said, laughing. "You've nothing to fear from this little one."

"Vampire bats typically feed on the blood of small, woodland mammals," Peter added. "With respect, Felicia; you've probably seen a few to many monster movies."

Felicia glared strongly at Peter. "Well, with respect to you, Peter; I'm more than aware of the difference between a monster movie and real life. Thank you very much!"

"Alright, that's enough bickering for the time being," Michael said, setting the birdcage back down on the table. "I'm not sure a minor squabble will be good for future relations."

"So tell me, Peter; is there anyone special in your life?" Felicia asked.

"Well, yeah actually," Peter said. "Mary Jane Watson; I actually purposed to her recently, so we'll be wed a month from now."

"That's good news, Peter!" Michael

"Mary Jane Watson," Felicia asked. "She was a Broadway starlet at one time, was she not? I've read the reviews, and while I haven't seen her perform, those reviews didn't do her justice."

Michael walked around to the other side of the table, hands on the table top. "I blame the critics. As far as I'm concerned, they're were just looking for something not to like."

"She was able to get by that little roadblock," Peter said, and then he gazed at his watch. "Oh, I'm sorry but I gotta get back to the Bugle. Mr. Jameson could have my head."

"I do hope to meet Mary Jane in due time, Peter." Felicia said, as Peter hustled out the door.

"Take care, Peter." Michael added.

Peter got outside onto the university campus and gazed at his watch again: 1:49 PM. He had plenty of time to get to the Bugle and chewed up by Jameson for umpteenth time. Then he heard sirens approaching quickly from up the street. Peter watched a burgundy sedan speed passed him, nearly knocking him down. Two NYPD squad car sped passed him, and Peter knew this meant big trouble for any bystanders in the street. Peter headed into an out of the way alley, made sure no one could see him and got into his costume with all haste. Placing his street clothes in a makeshift backpack of webbing, Peter pulled on his mask and scaled up the wall. One web line later, Peter soared over the streets of New York after the cars.

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The burgundy sedan sped down the busy streets with the police cruisers hot on its tailpipe. Three people, two male and one female wearing all black or brown clothing, had a few moderately large bags of money and some firearm. The crook in the backseat bashed the back window out and took aim at the lead car with a shotgun. He opened fired, blasting the left headlight and hood of the car but it kept coming. The driver of the getaway car was getting slightly frustrated with his cohort.

"C'mon, man, take it out! We gotta lose these guys."

The female crook pointed toward the streetlight up ahead. "Watch out for the other cars, man!"

"You wanna drive?" asked the driver.

The driver nonetheless made a sharp right turn at the light, nearly hitting a parked car. The back seat crook got thrown for a loop, missing a shot at the police cruiser. Having righted himself, the crook took a perfect shot at the front left wheel. The tire blew out and the car slowed to a crawl. The other car slammed into the rear of the first, bringing both to a halt. No sooner after the collision, a red and blue streak soared over the cars and after the sedan. The crooks briefly looked into the rearview mirrors to assess the damage, and the driver removed his mask. He was at least in his early 30's, with brown hair and a mustache. The other crook removed their mask, both appearing in their late 20's.

"Yeah, it's smooth sailing from here on out." he said triumphantly.

"I hope we don't do run into Spider-Man." the crook in the back said rather worriedly.

"Don't jinx us, Doug," she warned. "Just please don't jinx us."

Suddenly, the trio felt something land on the roof of the car. The driver looked around for the source and found himself staring into the eyes, so to speak, of Spider-Man. "Clean your windshield, mister?"

The flabbergasted driver began steering wildly in a vain attempt to get rid of Spider-Man. Spider-Man held on thanks to his adhesive powers before his spider-sense went off. The female crook had a revolver in her hand with the barrel pointed straight. She fired into the ceiling, but the web slinger dodged every bullet with seconds to spare. Spider-Man back flipped the trunk of the car, where the third crook spotted him; and screaming like a girl. He tried to aim the shotgun but Spider-Man webbed the barrel shut, grabbed the gun and pulled with the crook. A split second later, the crook was knocked out by a straight punch to the nose. The female crook aimed her gun but Spider-Man webbed it and yanked out of her hand. The web slinger crawled back onto the roof of the sedan. He fired dual web lines onto the hood of the car and pulled as hard as his spider powers would allow. He ended up pulling too hard and yanked the hood off into the air, and Spider-Man went with it. Spider-Man affixed his feet on the airborne hood and fired a web lined onto the car. The hood slammed onto the street and Spider-Man used the hood as a makeshift wakeboard, being pulled along by the sedan.

_Why am I getting the sudden feeling of Déjà vu? _Spider-Man thought, feeling as if he'd done this kind of thing before.

The driver looked at the rearview mirror and spotted Spider-Man, surfing the car hood of all things. "You gotta be kidding me!"

Spider-Man surfed in between traffic, staying attached to the car as it did the same. The driver became desperate and took to slamming into several parked vehicles. The sedan sped down the street past car both moving and unmoving, while Spider-Man kept up with the sedan. His spider-sense went off and as time slowed, the hero spotted the reason as to why. There was a massive tractor trailer rolling into the intersection parallel to the sedan.

Spider-Man thought, _Shi-oot!_

Thinking quickly, Spider-Man snagged a streetlight and catapulted himself skyward. He soared through the air before landing onto the front of the sedan and gummed up the engine with a huge mound of webbing. The engine eventually sputtered and died right there. The sedan was slowing to a snails' pace but it was still closing in on the trailer. Spider-Man clung to the grill of the car and shot duel lines in each direction, snagging building on either side. The sedan slowed even further until it finally came to a halt, with Spider-Man's chest inches from the trailer. Spider-Man let go of the lines and turned to the three crooks in the car, while new police cruisers approached. Spider-Man pulled out the driver side door and pulled on the driver.

"Don't worry, guys," he quipped. "I'm sure the cops will have plenty of room in jail for you."

The driver laughed. "It don't matter, cause the Big Man's gonna bail us out and then you're screwed."

"The who-what-now," Spider-Man asked, hearing the sirens getting closer. "If you know what's good for you, you'll me about this Big Man."

"If you want the Big Man, you should go find him yourself," the driver said in defiance. "I'd rather rot in jail then rat out the guy that signed my paycheck."

"Suit yourself!"

By the time the NYPD arrived on the scene, the trio of crooks was all tied together in a web net and hanging from a streetlight. The stolen money bags were laid out below the crooks. Among the cops, Jean DeWolff approach to assess the situation and her jaw dropped when she saw the trio strung up like a three piece piñata. Spider-Man was long gone; DeWolff so wanted catch him and missed her chance. She noticed a small piece of folded paper and opened. It read: _Courtesy of your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man! _

DeWolff was clearly irked by the perceived arrogance shown by Spider-Man as she glared at the crooks. "Cut them down. Take them to the precinct."

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Spider-Man was crouched atop the edge of a building high above the streets, watching the commotion that transpired. He wasn't really thinking about that at the moment. Who was this Big Man the crooks were talking about? Peter removed his mask and brushed his hair in confusion, remembering the villains that came and went. What, were these whack-a-dos running out of decent names? Things were getting stranger with each passing moment and judging by Peter's past experiences, it was going to worse long before it got better. Peter would bet his webbing on it!

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Author's note: I really, REALLY hate writer's block. Okay, here's the deal; I'm not putting up any more chapters until I get some reviews. So, send in the clowns! No wait, that don't make any sense; and I hate clowns.


	4. Cat Scratch Fever

Disclaimer: I'm back for the next chapter in Spider-Man 5. Speaking of which, I don't own the rights to Spider-Man and company. They belong to Marvel Comics.

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Chapter IV  
Cat Scratch Fever

As it was on any given day, the Daily Bugle was rout with the usual chaos. And as usual, the ever lovable (and slightly unstable) J. Jonah Jameson was on one of his tirades. Betty Brant must've lost count of how many times she's had to remind the boss of his blood pressure. Seriously, Jameson was the proverbial active volcano! Ted Hoffman was, as usual, the sacrificial lamb so to speak as he strolled into Jameson's office with his next crackpot idea. Betty admired Hoffman's determination, although she did get some sick pleasure out watching him squirm with Jameson hot on his heels. She could see into the window, Hoffman pitching his idea and Jameson at his desk with a cigar dangling in his mouth.

_3…2…1!_ Betty thought with amusement.

As if on cue, Hoffman jolted out of the office with Jameson erupting behind him. "Why do I keep you on payroll?"

"Well, I'm the, um, head of pr…promotion and um," Hoffman answered, half-spooked out of his mind.

"That was a rhetorical question, you idiot," Jameson boomed, causing Hoffman to shiver. "Now, don't come back until you have a good idea, and I mean a _good _idea."

"Blood pressure!" Betty said.

"Huh?!"

"Blood pressure, boss," Betty repeated. "Remember what your wife said?"

"Yeah, yeah," Jameson turned toward city editor Joseph "Robbie" Robertson, who had a slight smirk on his face. "Robbie, where's Leeds? Where's Parker? Where's Brock?"

"Ned's still on assignment and Peter's on his way here with new photos," Robbie answered as he followed Jameson into his office. "And you fired Brock!"

"I did? I could've sworn I saw him in at the hotdog stand outside." Jameson wondered. Score one for old age!

Peter eventually arrived at the Bugle with a portfolio beneath one arm, greeting Betty. "Hey, Betty!"

"Hi, Pete! Got some new photos for the boss?"

"Yeah, their right here," Peter confirmed, holding the portfolio in hand. "Hopefully, he won't trash them like usual."

Betty leaned over her desk. "Since when does Mr. Jameson ever _not_ trash anything? Anyway, you haven't happen run into Ned by any chance?"

Peter never got the opportunity to answer when Jameson exploded out of his office. "Parker, where you been? Hiding under a rock? I needed new photos yesterday," Jameson yanked the portfolio out of Peter's grip. "Where'd you take these shots; Custer's?"

Robbie came up behind Jameson and took the photo. "C'mon Jonah, these are good pics and you know it."

"That doesn't mean I have to admit it," Jameson said, yanking the pics back from Robbie and choose one out of the bunch. "A guy in a brown and yellow loincloth doesn't sell papers."

"You called him Shocker," Robbie said. "We sold out 2 printings on him yesterday and today."

"Mr. Jameson, if I may ask?" Peter asked.

"You may not!" Jameson snapped.

Peter, undeterred, said, "It isn't right spreading lies about Spider-Man being involved with the recent string of robberies."

"Lies," Jameson snapped. "Let me tell you something, kid; The Daily Bugle only prints facts. The day someone proves to me that Spider-Man is a hero is the day my wife divorces me, which sadly won't happen. Now get out of before I have you stapled on my wall, upside down."

Peter rolled his eyes in frustration and left the office. One would think after Spider-Man saved Jameson's hash from Scorpion, he'd at least be a shred grateful. One couldn't grieve forever!

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It was well into the evening hours as Peter and Mary Jane got settled into their new home. Both were working with a series of invitation cards and the like. Mary Jane had some experience in such a thing, being that she was once engaged to John Jameson. That was before her inevitable abduction at the many hands of Dr. Octopus. For Peter, it was all new. He really wished aunt May had agreed to move in with them. Mary Jane had little luck with her mother, who had recently divorced her father. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise, considering that mans' history of putting everyone down. Mary Jane no longer brought herself to care, not one bit about that man. She told that to Peter, who admired her growing up. A moment came when the subject family dysfunction was put to the wayside.

"Okay, so we have your aunt May and my aunt Anna and my mother," MJ said, a small stack of cards at her side. "Who else should we invite to the wedding?"

"Well, we could invite some of our former school mates," Peter answered matter-of-factly. Yes, there were some people the couple knew from their school day, some of them taunting Peter long before a certain spider came along. "I've kept in touch with Hobie and Kenny and they said they'll be there. Believe it or not, I even asked Flash to be my best man."

"You asked Flash Thompson," Mary Jane said, flabbergasted. "What about all the times he picked on you in school?"

"Hey, people change!"

Mary Jane couldn't help but laugh. "Well for what it's worth, I asked Sally and Liz to be my brides' maids. What about the people at Bugle?"

"I'm sure Ned and Betty will want to be there," Peter said. "Robbie too, but I'm not so sure about Mr. Jameson."

"That makes two of us!" Mary Jane claimed.

A faint voice sounded from across the room, coming from the police scanner that Peter snuck into the apartment. Much to Mary Jane's chagrins. _"All available units report to a break in at the Guggenheim museum. Possible multiple armed suspects; proceed with caution."_

"You brought that thing with you?" Mary Jane wondered.

Peter thought for the best way to answer his fiancé. "Well, you never know, MJ. Might need it at some point."

Mary Jane sighed, defeated. "I guess it can't be helped."

Peter sighed before getting up and moving to the closet, pulling out a trunk from below and grabbing his costume. In only a couple minutes, Peter had his costume on except for the mask. He locked eyes with Mary Jane, who was starting to rise up to face him. The beautiful young redhead approached her beau and wrapped her arms over his shoulder. They shared a brief kiss before breaking.

"You know, I was hoping that after we got married," MJ said. "You'd maybe just retire the Spider-Man gig."

"Believe me, MJ," Peter said. "There've been times when I almost did."

Mary Jane lowered her head slightly, and then raised it again. "Just go do what you do best. I'll be here when you get back."

Peter smiled and backed away, pulling his mask on. "Wish me luck!" he said before bounding out the window into the night.

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The Guggenheim museum wouldn't normally allow visitors in after hours, especially the late hours. It didn't really apply to the band of crooks hustling in and out the back doors. They never noticed a figure perched on the rooftop across from the museum. This woman wore an all black body suit with white boots and glove, and a black eye mask to conceal her face. Her long, platinum hair waved in the faint night breeze. She huffed at the sight of these losers upon seeing the poorly hidden faces. The least they could've done was wear masks. The mystery woman caught movement from the corner of her eye and promptly hid in a window sill. She watched the familiar form of Spider-Man swing by and into the museum. The woman liked what she saw in the hero. She prepared to leap away when she spotted a little girl in the apartment room behind. The girl clutched a stuff bear in her arms, and the woman couldn't help but smile at her.

"Are you the Tooth Fairy?" the little girl asked.

The woman shook her head. "I'm afraid not, sweetheart," she said, turning back toward the museum. She turned back to the girl and placed one fingers on her lips, shushing the girl. "This'll be our little secret." The woman winked at the girl and bounded from the window toward the museum.

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The not-so-merry band of crooks worked diligently to acquire, AKA steal, the various works of art in the museum. There were a total of five crooks ransacking the museum. They would've needed to do some heavy lifting to steal the larger items. The smaller items were fairly easier to carry.

"This stuff's gotta be worth a fortune," one crook gloated. "Five shares easy for all of us!"

"Six shares," another crook corrected his cohort. "Don't forget the guy who planned out the heist."

A third crook entered the conversation. "Oh, gimme a damn break! He thinks he can sit this out and get a share."

"Yeah," the second crook agreed. "We're the guys taking the risks out here. I say screw the sixth guy; we deserve to take the whole share and maybe more."

"Hey, pipe down! I know why they call him the Big Man." said the leading crook.

"Yeah? Why _do_ they call him the Big Man?"

"I heard this guy was 7 feet tall, and he'd make the Rhino seem like a lightweight."

"You're talking out of your ass."

A forth crooks approached the group, with a small statue in one hand. "Hey guys, how much you think this'll fetch us?"

"I'd say about five to ten…" an unknown voice answered. "…with time off for good behavior."

The crook was suddenly yanked into the air left stuck on the ceiling in a net of webbing. The statue went flying in the moment but was snatched in a web line. The crooks stared in stunned silence at the sudden turn of event that unfolded before them. They didn't see Spider-Man descending behind them, while upside down.

"A little late to be admiring the artwork, don't you think?" he quipped.

The crooks turned to stare directly at the hero, one of them shouting, "It's Spider-Man."

"Spider-Man!? Where, where," the hero joked mercilessly. "I get so fluster when I meet a celebrity. I just have to get his autograph."

Two of the crooks pulled their guns on Spider-Man, who responded with two crisscrossing web lines to the guns. The hero yanked hard and the crooks ended up knocking heads. The third crook tried to rush Spider-Man, but the hero dropped from his web and rolled away. Spider-Man stopped short and kicked the crook hard. The crook went flying into a priceless Ming vase, under which Spider-Man created a web hammock to save it.

"Careful, you knuckleheads," the web slinger warned. "Bear in mind: you break it, you buy it."

Spider-Man didn't see a fifth guy behind him. He didn't really need to anyway. The crook took an errant swing with a blunt object, which Spider-Man ducked under. The web slinger fell to his back a second time and kicked the crook straight up and into the ceiling. Spider-Man caught him in a web net to keep him from hitting the floor. The web slinger tied up the other crooks that were still out cold. Spider-Man took long gaze at his handy work and smirk beneath his mask.

"Well, not exactly what I'd call art but I like it."

"That's not bad for a red n' blue spider."

Spider-Man looked toward the source of the otherwise sultry voice and found its equally sultry owner. "Somehow, I doubt any of these dill weeds belongs for you."

"Oh please," the woman said, sitting on the hand rail and waving one leg in the air. "You think I'd associate myself with these losers?"

Spider-Man shot out a web line and pulled himself to the next floor, perching himself on the hand rail. The woman didn't make a move. "Were you making any long term plans to rob the museum? If so, that won't put you in good graces with the law."

The woman turned so she was face Spider-Man, making it appear as if she were straddling the rail. "Maybe I _was_ going to rob this place, and maybe I wasn't. If you like to find out for sure…" The woman put a fist up right in front Spider-Man, and a plume of smoke shot out. Spider-Man dropped to the floor coughing, while the woman was already two floors up, hanging from a wire. "You'll have to catch me; if you can!"

Spider-Man needed time to clear his head after that sneak attack by the woman. The woman was already to the top of the museum but Spider-Man managed to get there as well. The hero's head still wasn't clear and it nearly cost him when the woman swung right passed him and up an exit shaft. Spider-Man followed his quarry all the way to the roof, finding the woman at the edge of the building. She actually had the temerity to blow a kiss at Spider-Man, making the hero blush beneath his mask. Then she bounded away and Spider-Man had to chase after her. By the time he got to where she stood, the woman was already two rooftops ahead.

_Who is this girl?_ Peter thought as he swung after the woman.

The woman leaped from rooftop to rooftop with Spider-Man fighting to catch up to her. The hero swung through the building after the woman, who a regular interval turned and taunted him from two or three building ahead. This went for a while as they went deeper into Manhattan until the woman suddenly disappeared from view. Spider-Man reached the rooftop from which the woman seemed to vanish. He scanned the roof hoping to find the woman, and then his spider-sense went off. Too late! The woman surprised the web slinger with cat quickness with a drop kick to the back of Spider-Man. Spider-Man flew across the roof and over the edge, saving himself with a web line and swinging back up. By the time he got there, Spider-Man found himself under attack from the woman. She threw a series of punches and kicks that Spider-Man dodged and/or blocked.

"Whoa, stop! Stop," Spider-Man shouted, doing everything he could to avoiding retaliating against the woman. "I don't want to fight you, lady!"

The woman laughed as she kept throwing blows. "Who says we're fighting, spider?"

"Well, you kind of trying to take head off," Spider-Man said, still avoiding the shots. "I would qualify that as fighting."

The woman stunned the web slinger with a round kick to the stomach. "C'mon, spider, Throw a punch or a kick. Sometime!"

Spider-Man back flipped away for the woman and tied her up in webbing. "Sorry, I've got strict No Violence against Woman rule. I break that and I can kiss my superhero license goodbye."

The woman somehow broke the webbing and went back on her attack, smiling all the way. This confused Spider-Man greatly since as far as he knew, the woman didn't come off as a homicidal nutcase. She seemed to be playing with Spider-Man as she kept throwing shots at him, and Spider-Man kept dodging and/or blocking. Every now and then, the woman got in a few shots but Spider-Man refused to fight back. Finally, Spider-Man saw a moment to strike. Sort of! The woman threw a wide roundhouse kick and Spider-Man ducked. He caught the woman's free foot with a web line and tripped the woman. Spider-Man acted quickly and the next thing he knew, he had the woman in his arms.

The woman smiled. "I thought you weren't going to hit a woman."

"I didn't, technically," Spider-Man said, helping the woman to her vertical base. "Are you going to stop fighting and tell your name?"

The woman didn't answer, instead catching the hero off guard with another smoke attack. She back flipped toward the edge of the roof as Spider-Man rolled around trying to breathe. Spider-Man tried to make a move toward but his eyes were blurry, and watery under the mask. The woman stood on the edge, smirking at the fallen hero.

"For the record, spider: I didn't steal anything from the museum, nor was I planning on it."

Spider-Man coughed, "Then why did you attack me?"

"I was just having fun, spider," the woman answered and turned away. She turned back toward the delirious hero. "As for my name: I'm just a stray Black Cat, and I just crossed your path."

With a playful wink, the self proclaimed Black Cat dove off the edge. Spider-Man got to the edge as quickly as his could and to his surprise, she was gone. The web slinger was still dazed from the smoke attack, stumbling from side to side. Eventually, Spider-Man cleared his head and hopped onto the ledge, surveying the scene. It was so different from his previous battles, since he didn't throw a single punch. It felt more like Black Cat wasn't taking it seriously; she really _was_ just having fun. At least that was what Spider-Man had hoped was the case. What could possibly be next for Spider-Man in the coming days?

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Author's note: That's clinches Chapter 4 and the official introduction of Black Cat, and it had to happen sooner or later. Enjoy and threw some reviews my way, or send a question or two I'll try to answer to the best of my abilities. Stay tuned for the next chapter.


	5. Clock And Dagger

Disclaimer: Another day and another chapter for Spider-Man 5. Since we all know the deal, we'll skip the part about Spider-Man belonging to Marvel Comics. Oops, too late!

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Chapter V  
Cloak and Dagger

PARTNERS IN CRIME: CAT AND SPIDER ROB GUGGENHEIM! Mary Jane stared at the headline of that day's addition of the Bugle paper. Needless to say, she balked at the idea of Spider-Man being involved in the thefts. With a woman in a cat themed costume no less! Mary Jane knew Spider-Man better than anyone, considering that she knew who was under the mask. Some of the other girls were reading the same story, giggling nonstop at the notion of Spider-Man actually having a girlfriend. Mary Jane rolled her eyes in annoyance as one of the girls, Debra, approached MJ with the paper and a smirk.

"Hey, MJ, you seen the paper," she asked, waving the newspaper in Mary Jane's face. "It looks like your hero has a lady already!"

"Oh please, Debra," Mary Jane retorted. "You think someone as noble as Spider-Man would associate himself with a thief who dresses like a cat? I don't!"

Another girl, Glory, inserted herself into the conversation. "What's wrong, MJ? Are you jealous?"

"Jealous…" Mary Jane snapped. "…of that harlot? I already have a great guy in Peter Parker. Why on Earth should I be jealous?"

Debra and Glory looked at each other and then back at Mary Jane. "Well, because Spider-Man you, like, three times in the past." Naomi said.

"Yeah," Debra added. "If he'd save me, I'd be a little jealous. Don't get us wrong; Peter is an awesome guy."

"Cute too!" Glory said, much to Mary Jane's annoyance.

"Glory!?"

As the girls quarreled over Mary Jane's love life, Roderick Kingsley arrived at the scene. He was speaking on his cell phone. "So I can count on you to provide the necessary assistance," A pause followed, than Kingsley added. "Very good; he won't know what hit him. Goodbye," Kingsley hung up and turned his attention to the girl. "Ladies, I trust you all had a relaxing weekend."

"Yes, Mr. Kingsley," Debra said. "I think it's safe to say we did."

"Who were you speaking with over the phone?" Mary Jane asked out of sheer curiosity.

"Nobody in particular, Ms. Watson," Kingsley said. "It was just an old business associate of mine. Now let's get you ladies ready for the shoot."

Debra and Glory did exactly as they were instructed but Mary Jane seemed to fall behind. Something seemed off about Kingsley, yet she couldn't pinpoint what exactly. Kingsley didn't come off as bossy as usual; like he wasn't the same person. What was it, the invasion of the body snatchers?

"Is there a problem, Ms. Watson?" Kingsley wondered.

Mary Jane was brought out of her trance. "No, nothing at all."

"Then, might I suggest you get yourself for the shoot," Kingsley said. "I wouldn't want you to not be at your best."

Mary Jane nodded and headed off to joins the other girls in the dressing room. Whatever the reason for Kingsley's sudden switch in demeanor, she dismissed it for the moment. Maybe she was just being slightly paranoid, about many things. Maybe!

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Ned Leeds' investigation into the string of robberies appeared to bear more fruit than he'd hoped. All the interview he'd conducted with convicted felons, police and the like should've been more than enough expose the truth. To reveal the true identity of the mysterious Big Man! All Ned needed was the approval of Mr. Jameson to run the full story.

"Your ideas are worse than Hoffman's and he's the head of promotions." Jameson bellowed, tossing the notes to the side of his desk.

Ned had one closed as his boss snapped at him. "C'mon, boss! This is gold! You'd be a fool not to run this story."

"Hoffman's a fool," Jameson snapped. He had one fist and his index finger extended. "The President was a fool," his middle finger was extended. "Hell, the window washer hanging outside my office is a fool." Now his ring finger was extended.

Ned picked up the notes, waving them in the air. "People would turn out in droves to read this story. Imagine how many printings you could sell out on this story alone."

"Ned," Robbie inserted himself into the conversation. "L. Thompson Lincoln is a respected philanthropist and entrepreneur. He donated 4 million dollars to the Make a Wish Foundation. And he's also an old friend of mine from High School."

"He's also a corrupt underworld crime boss who looks a zombie," Ned spat.

"You better watch that mouth, kid…" Jameson spat back. "…before you end up tripping on it. I'm not going to print falsified stories about upstanding citizens like Lincoln, especially not after that Eddie Brock fiasco. It goes against everything I stand for."

"What about those stories of Spider-Man," Ned asked, treading very much on thin ice by now. "He's one of the good guys and you print falsified stories on him."

Jameson slammed his hand on his desk, his face contorted with anger. "Spider-Man is a two bit, glorified psychopath who hides his face behind a mask. Lincoln may have a slightly bad skin complexion, but at least he doesn't wear a mask. Now get out of my office and don't dare come back until you have some viable and honest information."

Ned stormed out of the office with his notes in hand, defeated and utterly embarrassed. He thought had it; he honest to God believed had the scoop of his lifetime. Leave it to J. Jonah Jameson to shoot him down. Then Ned had what some would consider an epiphany: if Jameson wouldn't believe the Big Man urban legend, then maybe Spider-Man would. But how to contact him? Ned got his answer in the form of Peter Parker, who was just arriving via the elevator.

"Peter," Ned called out, grabbing Peter's attention as he approached the elevator.

"Hey, Ned," Peter acknowledged the young journalist, "What can I do for you?"

Ned swung one arm around Peter's shoulder. "I know this is probably going to sound ridiculous, but I need a favor from you."

Peter shrugged. "Sure, but what's so ridiculous about asking someone for favor?"

"Well, the thing is…" Ned paused for a second. "...I was wondering if you'd be at all able to contact Spider-Man for me."

Ned was right; that favor was ridiculous. "Why would you want talk to Spider-Man," Peter wondered. "Didn't he leave you hanging from a streetlight?"

Ned rolled his eyes at Peter's dry humors, pulling his arm away. "That's beside the point. Look, if you happen to run into the web head, and you usually do anyway, tell him to meet me on the roof of the Bugle in half an hour. I got some valuable information he can't refuse."

Ned headed not for the elevator but the nearest stairwell, leaving Peter to ponder what he meant by the last comment. He was going to follow but the familiar bellowing of Mr. Jameson sounded from across the office. Peter decided to heed the call so to speak at see the boss. As for Ned, he'd have to wait for about half an hour.

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Ned paced around the roof of the Daily Bugle for close to half an hour, waiting semi-patiently for Spider-Man to show up. Unbeknownst to him, Peter was standing on the roof of the building across from the Bugle in his costume. What the hell was Ned up to, he wondered. Consequently, Ned has been acting oddly as of late. Maybe he was still fuming about being hung out to dry by Spider-Man the night the Lizard attacked him. Peter figured he might as well test the waters, pulling his mask on and leaping from the roof. Meanwhile, Ned waited as patiently as he could allow himself to.

He gazed down at his watch. _Damn, does he always take this long?_ Ned turned around and Spider-Man appeared out of nowhere on the ledge, sending Ned onto his rear. "Thanks for the heart attack!"

"I have that effect on people," Spider-Man quipped. "Parker said you wanted to see me; said you had some valuable info."

Ned picked himself up off the ground, brushing himself off. "Something like that, but think you might want to hear me out."

Spider-Man jumped of the ledge and stared at Ned, arms crossed. "Alright Leeds, I'm all ears. What sort of information you got to share?"

"Alright, you obviously know about the strings of robberies that have been taking place," Ned said. Some involved a bunch of petty, low level crooks while other were caused by the likes of the Rhino and Shocker and even than weird female cat thief."

"Black Cat," Spider-Man confirmed. "I know. I kind of had a run in with her recently. Claimed she didn't steal anything from the museum."

"So you did fight her?" Ned wondered.

"Yeah, but she's nothing like the weirdoes in this city," Spider-Man said. "So what of the robberies."

"Well, I think these robberies are the work of an underworld crime boss who calls himself the Big Man." Ned explained.

"I've heard of him," Spider-Man said, unfolding his arms. "Although, I find it hard to believe that one single guy can orchestrate all the crime in New York. Some kind of urban legend."

"This coming from a guy who wears red and blue spandex and swing from silk thread." Ned quipped.

Spider-Man scratched his head in embarrassment. "Touché!"

There's more though," Ned continued. "I did a ton of research and conducted a lot of interviews with several of the crooks and the cops. Finally came across a guy who spilled the beans the Big Man. He gave me three letters: LTL."

"LTL!?" Spider-Man wondered.

"L. Thompson Lincoln."

"The entrepreneur and philanthropist," Spider-Man wondered, half in denial. No offence, Leeds, but that sounds kind iffy."

"I know it seems really farfetched but the pieces couldn't fit any better than this," Ned said, feeling he was really on to something. "I, honest to God, feel that I'm right about this. Lincoln _is_ the Big Man."

Spider-Man seemed rather skeptical about the notice that a respected businessman could actually be a crime boss. Then again, he's known another similarly respected businessman that turned into a homicidal airborne maniac. But if Ned Leeds was correct, then this Big Man was the source of the crime spree and needed to be stopped.

"Alright, Leeds, I'll look into it when I get a chance," the web slinger said. "But I want you to lay low in the mean time. If the Big Man gets wind that you exposed him, I got a feeling the consequences could be dire."

"Yeah, sure! No problem!" Ned reluctantly said.

"I mean it, Leeds," Spider-Man said very strongly. "Don't do anything you might regret later."

"Okay, okay! I won't do anything stupid." Leeds said.

Spider-Man jumped up onto the ledge, turning back toward Ned. "Do you know where I can find Mr. Lincoln, other than on the 5 dollar bill?"

Leeds chuckled at the last comment. "Lincoln has a high rise estate near Gramercy Park. Big skyscraper! You can't miss it."

"Since when have I ever missed a skyscraper?" Spider-Man commented before swinging out of sight.

As he swung through the skyline on route to Gramercy, Spider-Man couldn't help thinking in the back of his mind that something was off. Ned Leeds knew more than he was letting on about the Big Man. Whatever the case may be, Spider-Man kept on going straight toward the source of the crime wave. He was in for a big surprise, to say the least.

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Another day and another photo shoot came to an end for Mary Jane and her friends. Roderick Kingsley had already left due to some personal business, which as usual, Mary Jane found strange. She thought nothing more of it, instead heading out of the studio into the street. It was late in the afternoon and the sun was already setting. Mary Jane found herself at the curb and was set to hail a taxi when she noticed movement out of the corner of her eyes. A single man in a purple jacket and Yankees cap was standing several feet from Mary Jane. Mary Jane walked around the next corner and, glancing over her shoulder, noticed the man keeping a reasonable distance from her. Now Mary Jane was getting nervous and wished that Peter was with her. She rounded the next corner into an alley in the hopes of losing her stalker, but he followed her still.

_Just relax, MJ. You don't need Spider-Man to handle this for you,_ she thought nonstop. _You can do this. _

The mugger moved in closer and closer to Mary Jane. A few steps more and he could've done something very terrible. Mary Jane meanwhile pulled out a small can of pepper spray to defend herself. Thank God she'd taken some self defense classes as well. The mugger was steadily closing the distance between himself and his target. He had a pocket knife in his hand, ready to strike. There followed a sudden commotion that drew Mary Jane's attention. On instinct, she turned sharply with pepper spray in hand and was surprised at what she saw. The mugger was above the ground and hanging upside down from what appeared to be a caber.

"What the…" Mary Jane wondered aloud, not noticing a gorgeous woman descending from a similar caber.

"Ahem, right behind you, sweetheart!"

Mary Jane turned around and found herself face to face with Black Cat. "It's you! You're that thief everyone's talking about."

"Is that what their calling me now," Cat asked. "It's like they don't know me at all."

Black Cat slowly sauntered around, and Mary Jane took a defensive stance. "Back off. I don't want to have to fight you."

"I just saved you from a mugger and this is the thanks I get." Cat quipped.

"I could've handled this myself." Mary Jane said in defiance."

"Is that a fact," Black Cat smirked at Mary Jane and briefly displayed her agility, leaping into the air and landing on a fire escape. "If that's the case, then you can save your own ass next time, honey."

Black Cat attempted to leave the alley but Mary Jane called out to her. "Wait a minute! Who are you?"

"I'm Black Cat," Cat answered. "Couldn't you tell from the costume?"

"That not what I meant," Mary Jane snapped. "I want to know who you are under that mask."

Black Cat smirked again, "Let just say, I'm a concerned citizen helping to clean up the city that never sleeps. And, make a little profit along the way."

Black Cat leaped from her perch and scaled up the walls, jumping from one wall to another. Mary Jane tried to follow, returning to the sidewalk but was too late. Black Cat was gone. Mary Jane couldn't help but ponder what would motivate a person like Black Cat to do what she does. Was she trying to get rich quick, or was she already rich and just doing it all for fun? Mary Jane couldn't help but be amazed by Black Cat's seemingly free spirit, if that's what it was at all. God knew what the coming days would bring. Mary Jane hailed a taxi and entered, and on the way home, Mary Jane wondered about the whereabouts of Peter. Little did she realize that he on route to confront the crime boss that the criminal underworld came to know as the Big Man. Little did Peter know that he was about to confront a man of abnormal standing.

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Author's note: I admit there wasn't a lot of action in this chapter but try to be patient. You're going to have a lot of questions and I'll be more than happy to answer them. Be sure to Read and Review. See ya real soon!


	6. Faces

Disclaimer: Another day and another chapter for Spider-Man 5. No, I don't own the rights to the Marvel Comics hero. He belongs to, um, Marvel Comics. Yes, I know I said that already.

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Chapter VI  
Faces

Spider-Man found himself above the streets of Gramercy and spotted the skyscraper he was looking for. When Ned Leeds said that the Big Man had a high rise estate, he wasn't kidding. Still, Spider-Man felt in the back of his mind that Ned was holding back some other information. Maybe he was being paranoid, underestimating Ned's journalistic skills. In any event, Spider-Man swung toward the skyscraper and landed on the side. He climbed almost all the way to the top of the building and found a ventilation cover and pulled it open. The web slinger was mentally kicking himself at the moment as he crawled through the vent. Breaking and entering wasn't his usual modus operandi, but given the circumstances he didn't have a choice.

_Old man Jameson would have a field day if he found out about this. _Spider-Man thought.

The web slinger reached another vent cover and looked through to the other side into a dimly lit room. He removed the cover and stuck his head out to get a better view. Big Man must've done good for himself; a very posh office that was also a recreational room. Perfect for a crime boss who paid with blood money! Spider-Man descended from the vent while hanging upside down, getting a slight tingle from his spider sense. He knew right then that he wasn't alone in the room.

Finally, a cold, deep yet commanding voice emerged from the darkness. "Normally, I'd have someone arrested for breaking and entering. But based on your reputation, Spider-Man, I'll make an exception in your case."

"L. Thompson Lincoln, I presume!" Spider-Man said, dropping from his web line to the floor.

"You presume correctly," Lincoln said, hidden behind a leather office chair facing away from Spider-Man. "To what do I owe the honor of this unexpected visit?"

"You can save the pleasantries, Lincoln," Spider-Man announced with an air of determination. "I know you're the Big Man."

"Big Man; is that what their calling me these days?" Lincoln asked.

Spider-Man jumped onto the pine office desk that separated himself and Lincoln. "What else would they call you?"

"I've been known by many names in my career, by both friend and foe alike," Lincoln said, tapping his finger on the armrest of his chair. The chair turned so Lincoln was face to face with Spider-Man. "But my personal favorite is Tombstone."

Spider-Man could see why Lincoln preferred that name: he looked like a zombie. His skin was chalk white, hair bleached and his teeth were jagged like they were filed. Yet this Tombstone guy wore a slick business suit. Lincoln stood up from his chair and just towered over Spider-Man. He was practically big enough to blot out the sun and the web slinger had to look up.

"Wow," the web slinger quipped. "You're a big boy."

"Indeed!" the imposing Tombstone said, cracking his knuckles.

Spider-Man's spider sense went off right then and there. The moment slowed to a crawl and Spider-Man caught sight of Tombstone throwing one big right fist. Spider-Man ducked under it and threw his own right fight into the chest of Tombstone. Nothing! Tombstone didn't even flinch. Spider-Man saw the stark contrast between his first fight with Sandman and this one against this man mountain.

The web slinger immediately though,_ That's not good!_

The web head didn't react quickly enough as Tombstone drove his balled up fists into the back his head. Tombstone delivered a sharp uppercut to the hero's jaw and then a straight punch to the stomach. Then he followed with a vicious back hand that sent Spider-Man flying on the desk and across the room. Tombstone jumped over his desk and stalked Spider-Man, who was reeling from the sudden outburst of shear strength from this man mountain called Tombstone. Spider-Man got to his feet and threw a wild right cross but Tombstone blocked it and rammed his massive head into that of the web slinger. Tombstone lifted Spider-Man over his head and prepared to throw him across the room, but Spider-Man fired a web line to the ceiling to save himself. Spider-Man tried to drop his feet right onto Tombstone's face but Tombstone caught him and slammed him effortlessly to the ground. Spider-Man tried to drag himself across the floor but Tombstone literally held his head to the floor. Tombstone lowered himself to floor so his own head was level with Spider-Man's.

"I could kill you right here and now, Spider-Man," Tombstone said. "Then I'd tear that mask off to see what you look like beneath it. But that'd be too much effort and I don't want to stain my hands."

Tombstone released his death grip and Spider-Man quickly leaped onto the nearest wall. Spider-Man shook his head, both in wooziness and shear humiliation that he was so thoroughly dominated by this giant. He'd never dealt with somebody as imposing this walking slab of granite that hit like a Mack truck. Not even the Rhino was this tough. Except the Rhino was dumber than a box of rocks! This human mountain of muscle used his strength wisely and that's why he bested Spider-Man so easily.

"I see no more reason to fight at the moment," Tombstone said. "However, since you're here, I'd like to make you a proposition."

"I don't make deals with criminals…" Spider-Man announced with defiance ever in his voice. "…especially when their in serious need a tan!"

"Cute! Just hear me out before you make a decision," Tombstone confidently said. "I've had my eye on you since you spun your first web. You've fought the likes of the Green Goblin, Dr. Octopus, Sandman, Scorpion and even lower tiered villains like the Rhino and Shocker."

"Any estimated time in which you plan to get to the point?" Spider-Man wondered.

"The point is that on the other hand," Tombstone sauntered to a billiard table, picking up one of the cue sticks. "When said villains aren't present, you turn your attention to the other low level crooks walking the streets everyday. Needless to say, that interferes with my operations."

Spider-Man dropped to the floor, watching as Tombstone played pool like the hero wasn't even there. "Yeah, that's kind of the general idea of being one of the good guys."

Tombstone saw fit to reiterate his point, "Still bad for business!"

"So in short, you want me to stop fighting crime in the city?" Spider-Man asked outright, appalled by the direction the conversation was going.

"Not necessarily," Tombstone admitted, shooting at and splitting the billiard balls, sending some into the pockets. "You can still fight the occasional super villain if the need arises. But I would request that you _look the other way_ when it comes to the more trivial crimes. You'll be paid rather handsomely," Tombstone shot another ball into a pocket. "So, Spider-Man; what's your answer?"

Spider-Man couldn't believe what he was hearing if he was wearing webbed earmuffs on his ears. Tombstone or Big Man or L. Thompson Lincoln, whatever he called himself, was actually offering Spider-Man a job? That went galaxies beyond crossing the line. Tombstone shot another ball toward a pocket when it was yanked into the air and into the waiting hand of the web slinger.

"You know I can't do that, Lincoln!"

"Are you sure," Tombstone wondered. "You can still be the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man that the city loves. Of course, you'll be under my employ."

Spider-Man tossed the billiard ball directly at Tombstone, who caught it in one hand. "I already turned my back once when I was needed, and I swore I'd never do it again. No deal!"

Tombstone sniffed the air in defeat but remained calm. "That is unfortunate, Spider-Man. The offer is still on the table. You know where to find me if you change you mind. When you do come back, and you will, please use the front door."

Spider-Man didn't bother heeding Tombstone's words, nor did he climb back up the vent from whence he came. Instead, he opened a window and jumped out in the night. Tombstone, in irritation, crushed the billiard ball in his bare hand before stepping toward the open window. There was no sign of Spider-Man but Tombstone expected to be confronted by him again in the very near future.

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Spider-Man swung through the evening sky, feeling embarrassed after having been thoroughly thrashed by Tombstone. He had an easier time battling Sandman than with that monster of a half dead, walking slab of concrete. Then Tombstone had the audacity to offer Spider-Man a chance to work for him. Keep fighting the costumed villains but turn away from fighting the low level criminals? That spat in the face of everything Spider-Man believed. It was that kind of reckless thinking that caused the loss of Uncle Ben in the first place. Granted, Peter wasn't directly to blame for that night, but he still felt responsible. But fate had other plans that night. Now all Peter wanted to do was go home to Mary Jane and go to sleep for the next 100 years. That would have to wait unfortunately when the faint crying of a woman in danger caught the web slinger's attention. Spider-Man swung toward the source of the crying, which emanated from a nearby rooftop. Much to his surprise, Spider-Man found a stereo playing back a woman's screams.

"You've got to kidding me!" he said, switching off the stereo.

Unbeknownst to Spider-Man, someone slowly emerged behind him; with a gun. "Took you long enough to show up."

Spider-Man turned sharply to meet his confronter. It turned out to be Capt. DeWolff. "Jeez, what is this: Abuse the Spider Day?"

"Yeah, real cute," DeWolff said, pointing her sidearm directly at the web slinger. "Care to explain what you were doing at Lincoln's tower?"

"Sight seeing," Spider-Man quipped. "I got a really good view of Central Park from up there."

"Cut the crap, web head," DeWolff said. "I know you were there to try to apprehend Lincoln and you ran into the problem as I did.

"Well, not exactly the _same_ problem," the hero quipped yet again. "But in my defense, I did get thoroughly thrashed by a dead man. You probably would've been thrown out the window."

DeWolff ignored the wisecracks of the web slinger. "I've been trying to expose Lincoln as the Big Man for while now, but I didn't have enough evidence to support that claim."

"That's funny; Ned Leeds told me he interviewed you and you denied the rumors."

DeWolff holstered her sidearm. "I had to lie to the kid in order to protect him from reprisals, which is more than I can say for you."

"Wow," Spider-Man quipped again. "Somebody didn't have their coffee and donuts today."

Now DeWolff was getting ticked and she stepped up to Spider-Man face to masked face. "Let me make this as crystal clear as possible, web head; I don't like you. I don't condone a vigilante taking the law into his own hands, whether or not he wears a mask. As far as I'm concerned, you as dangerous as the other costumed freaks that came and went."

"Well then," Spider-Man leaped onto a near wall. "I'm really sorry to hear that. But if it wasn't for me, those costumed freaks would still be running around."

"Be that as it may," DeWolff continued. "That's doesn't change my opinion of you or your little rogues gallery. I'll let you slide for now but next time I see you, all bets are off. I'll have you thrown into the loony bin where you belong. Got me?"

Spider-Man mock saluted DeWolff and said, "Yes ma'am! But until then," the hero shot out a web line. "You're going to have a hard time catching me."

Spider-Man jumped from the wall and dove straight toward the busy streets below. DeWolff watched in stunned silence as the web slinger soared out of sight. She rolled her eyes at such perceived arrogance but knew for sure, it was going to be extremely difficult to catch someone like Spider-Man. All in all, this was one hell of night!

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The waterfront was quieter than a graveyard, and a full moon had rising into the sky that was permeated with clouds. The light from the moon still shined down into the warehouse that houses the goblin equipment, now belonging to the same shadowy figure who stole it. A faint hissing sound broke the disturbing silence, coming from the familiar gas chamber of Goblins' past. How someone could've possibly moved such a large contraption defied logic, though it was highly possible that it was simply disassembled and then reassembled. The dual doors slid open and a red cloud, as oppose to the original green, cascaded from the chamber. Stepping out from the chamber, the shadowy stranger took a long, deep breath of his surrounding before stepping.

_So this is power that Norman Osborn bestowed upon himself, _the stranger thought._ The same power that ultimately ended him and his wayward son!_ The stranger flexed one arm. The muscle grew huge, as if the stranger was about to explode with power. _Now that I've perfected the formula, I won't fall to the same insanity of my predecessor. I'll be something more. Superior to the Green Goblin!_

The stranger approached the goblin equipment that waited for its new possessor. Everything was there, the flight suit, the glider, the armament and the masks. Yet, it all seemed different. The flight suit was revamped, now a combination of the original suits worn by the Green Goblin and the New Goblin. It retained the armored feel of the first flight suit but was no longer green. It was blue! Midnight blue! The body armor of the New Goblin was fashioned over it, but now it was copper colored with a large black belt. It was this new suit that stranger slipped onto his person, piece of piece. As a few added touches, the stranger slipped a pair of copper gauntlets on his forearms and similarly colored boots. He also slipped on a copper cloak that covered his shoulders, and a hood attached to it. The stranger approached the glider, which was also greatly revamped to truly resemble a giant bat or demon. The ultimate difference came from the mask he chose to wear. It was a yellow, rubber mask and a stark contrast to the older models. The stranger pulled the mask onto his face and it fit perfectly, as if it was not part of him. Stepping onto the glider, the stranger pulled the hood over the mask and then gunned the engine. The glider rose up through an open sky light and the moonlight beamed on the stranger's face for the first time. There followed the familiar cackling of a madman as he took to the skies. Heaven help every person in New York, for a new breed of goblin had been born.

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Author's note: That clinches things for Chapter 6 and finally, he's here! Who is the shady man turned goblin? I'll never tell! Read and review and stay tuned for the next chapter. Peace out!


	7. Heir To The Throne

Disclaimer: Hi, me again! This is the next entry to Spider-Man 5. I don't own Spider-Man or the villains or supporting characters.

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Chapter VII  
Heir to the Throne

Hell's Kitchen was considered a haven for the scum of the underworld, especially in the early to mid afternoon hours. Hiding out in a dilapidated old apartment wasn't exactly the first option for the three crooks that called it home. They were the same band of thugs that were working for Shocker not that long ago, minus one. They had posted bail the night prior and went right back to the usual line of work. Posted bail? No doubt the Big Man, AKA Tombstone, had a pale hand in that. One of the crooks was busy trying to pry a safe open with a crowbar.

"C'mon, Miles! I wanna get my cut so I can get outta this town." One of the crooks whined.

The crook called Miles retorted to his cohort. "This'd go a lot faster if lend a hand for once in your pathetic life, Charlie."

"Hey, this'd be easier if Shocker got out with us," Charlie said. "But he didn't wanna be associated with us. He even called us chumps."

One of the other crooks, Jones, added to the commentary. "That's his loss. C'mon, Charlie! Forget the damn crowbar and blow that thing open."

"Blow yourself!"

Out of the blue, a large explosion blew Charlie across the room and into the wall upside down. Charlie and Jones checked on their cohort but then heard what sounded like a high powered engine coming from the hole in the wall. Then there was a sickening laughter, dark and yet controlled in its nature. The three crooks gazed at the source of the laughter and stared in shock at the menacing figure entering the apartment on a bat shaped glider. He looked nearly identical to another such lunatic but still very different. Dare it be said, the intruder very strongly resembled the Green Goblin. But it wasn't the Green Goblin!

"Hello there," the newcomer said in a low and icy tone. "If you need an explosion, I have more than enough to accommodate you."

Miles picked himself up off the floor and glared at the new form of goblin. "Get the freak!"

Jones immediately lunged at the goblin and tried a sharp right hook but the goblin caught it in one hand. The goblin threw the hapless stooge to the side hard, while Charlie charged in with the crowbar in hand. He took a wild swing but again, the goblin caught the weapon and Charlie tried to pull away. The goblin pulled hard on the weapon and drew Charlie, and then backhanded him into the wall. Mile was the last man standing by that point and pulled out a gun but the goblin ultimately beat him in the end. The goblin's glider met the face of Charlie and a dual pronged blade extended out, stopping mere inches in front of Charlie.

Charlie involuntarily dropped his gun. "I meant, get the freak what ever he wants."

The glider lowered to floor level and the goblin stepped down. "All I want at the moment is your undying cooperation. Or the dying kind. I can be very flexible whenever I want to be."

"What the hell are you supposed to be anyway," Miles wondered. "You look nothing like the other goblins."

The new goblin glared at the crook and grabbed him by the throat. "Those goblins were just a cheap imitation compared to me," The goblin threw down the crook and hopped back onto his glider. "Starting tonight, this city bares witness to the one true goblin. No objections, I presume?"

The three crooks hesitated for long moments at a time. Then, they finally nodded their agreement out sheer terror of the new villain in town. He wasn't a reincarnated Green Goblin. He wasn't a Goblin redux either. This villain was truly the new goblin for a new generation. What was he planning?

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It was quite a shock to Peter's system when he became aware of the assignment from the Bugle. There he was, among a sea of high society people at the high rise estate of Mr. L. Thompson Lincoln, the same man that thrashed Spider-Man 24 hours ago. The so called philanthropist was being honored for his contributions to a series of noble causes. That was laughable! Yet, the sycophantic slime of New York's rich and famous (or infamous) flocked to honor the man as a hero. The only saving grace Peter had was that Mary Jane accompanied him. Peter had told her everything about Lincoln's shadier activities. Needless to say, Mary Jane was less than enthused by the news.

"This is insane," Mary Jane whispered to Peter. "How could these people practically worship that monster?"

"I guess its societies understanding," Peter whispered back. "They don't want to accept any imperfections. They see Lincoln as the perfect man of the people."

"I could call it sycophancy at its blatant best." came a familiar European accent. Peter and MJ turned and there was Michael Morbius.

"Prof. Morbius," Peter exclaimed, slightly taken aback. "I didn't expect to see you here tonight."

Please, Peter, you can address me as Michael. I've never been one for formalities. And I assume this lovely young lady is Mary Jane."

"You assume correctly, Michael," Mary Jane confirmed, to which Michael respectfully bowed. "So, what brings you here?"

"Well, I'm here for Felicia," Michael answered. "She's to be presenting our esteemed Mr. Lincoln with an award for his contributions to the city. Personally, I'm disinclined to agree with such accolades."

"You don't believe Mr. Lincoln is deserving of the award?" Peter asked.

"There are a lot of corrupt hypocrites walking the Earth these days, Peter," Michael said. "Unfortunately, there's not enough evidence to expose them, so the authorities have to work with only what they have at their disposal."

"Too true!" the familiar voice of Roderick Kingsley sounded, much to Mary Jane's surprise.

"Mr. Kingsley, what're you doing here?" she wondered.

"We weren't even aware you were invited." Peter added.

"Well, apparently, I was," Kingsley said. "I figured I'd get a closer look at the man of the hour. So tell me, Mr. Parker: any new pictures of that wall crawling psychopath?"

That particular comment made Peter cringe. This guy was still going on about how much he despised Spider-Man. "Well, not lately. I'm actually on assignment tonight so I don't have time get new pictures of the web head."

"The less we see of him, the better." Kingsley said, showing a slight sign of arrogance.

Felicia Hardy appeared on the stage, approaching a microphone stand. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming this evening. Tonight, we're honoring a man who earned the respect and gratitude of New York for his contributions and generosity."

And for the free food!" one of the guests jokingly called out. A brief chuckle followed.

Even Felicia laughed a bit before continuing. "As I was saying, the Hardy Foundation would like to present the Isis award to Time Magazine's Man of the Year, Mr. L. Thompson Lincoln."

The audience gave a round of applause, misguided as it may be, to L. Thompson Lincoln as he ascended onto the stage. Peter balked at Lincoln, knowing full well he didn't deserve the adulation. Lincoln deserved to be behind bars, but what could Peter do? He couldn't just leap over the sea of people separating him from Lincoln, not without exposing himself to these suck ups.

"Parker? Parker, what're you standing around for," sounded the familiar explosive rant of J. Jonah Jameson, who was also in attendance. "I don't pay you to be a statue, Parker. Take some pictures!"

Peter did so as Lincoln accepted his award. "Thank you very much, Miss Hardy, and thank all of you for this prestigious award. In all honesty, I've never been too good with acceptance speeches."

Peter snapped one picture after another on the so called _man of the year_, while Mary Jane was busy conversing with Michael and Felicia. He was able to listen in on Lincoln's all around half hearted speech. Then his spider-sense went off, and big time! Peter tried to keep his focus on the proceedings but through his camera sight, he caught movement coming from a stairwell. He counted three hooligans, all wearing what appeared to be jack o' lantern masks and brandishing sub machine guns. The lead lantern pointed his gun up and fired, bringing the party to sudden halt.

"All right, nobody better make any sudden moves," the leader shouted, his gun aimed toward the audience. "And I wouldn't try using the elevators or stairs."

Jameson, to his credit, stumped up to the lead lantern. "Hey, who the do you think you are? You can't just barge in here without an invitation."

The lead lantern pointed his weapon at Jameson. "You want our invitation, old man? How does this cut it? Now sit your old wrinkly ass down."

"Do you have any idea who I am," Jameson kept booming. "I'm J. Jonah Jameson. I'm the Editor in Chief of the Daily Bugle. I can have you all arrested," Jameson found himself shutting up when the lead lantern cocked his gun. "Then again, sitting down is a good idea."

Jameson did indeed sit down, to which the lead lantern responded, "Good, and as for the rest of you, do as we tell you and you won't get hurt. Much!"

Peter was across the room from Mary Jane, who was giving him the nod to go ahead and do his thing, while his spider-sense became stronger. In fact it was going off the scale! Something big and very, very bad was about to happen. Then the sound of shattered glass echoed throughout the room and a menacing figured crashed through a window, laughing maniacally. Peter managed to get in a sneak peak of the new creep in town, and shock and awe were plastered on his face. This new villain was both new and yet so familiar. He looked a lot like a certain former enemy of Spider-Man, except this guy wore a copper and blue flight suit and a similarly colored cloak and hood. Still, the similarities were nearly identical to…

Peter was thinking, _No, it can't be him! He's dead!_

The goblin flew above the horrified audience, still cackling like a hyena. "Ladies and gentlemen, I bid you greetings. I am your entertainment for the evening. Now, where is L. Thompson Lincoln," then the goblin turned to Lincoln, who was scowling. "Or should I call you the Big Man?"

Lincoln stepped forward to confront the intruder. "I am L. Thompson Lincoln but I don't know any Big Man, nor do I know you."

"That's the general idea for the mask, Einstein," the goblin mocked, pointing to the rubber mask. "But I know who you are, since I've already peaked under your mask."

"As I said, I don't who this Big Man character is," Lincoln continued to deny. "You're obviously confused."

The goblin though his right forearm between him and Lincoln, and three curved blades extended outward. "Am I?"

"Excuse me," a voice called out from elsewhere in the room. The goblin and Lincoln gazed toward the shattered window and found Spider-Man there. "Can I enter through here? Or do I have to break my own window?"

"You," The goblin turned back toward Lincoln and mocking said, "To be continued…" Then the goblin ascended into the air to face Spider-Man head on. "I should've known I run into you eventually."

Spider-Man hopped onto the nearest wall and shook his head. "Jeez, another one? How many of you goblins are there? Seriously, you guys need to get a hobby."

"Well, I can promise you that this goblin will be the last you face in life."

The goblin, with his arm blades still extended, gunned his glider right at Spider-Man. Spider-Man quickly bounded away and the goblin struck the wall, embedding the blades into it. The web slinger swung across the room while the goblin pulled himself free from the wall and flew after the web slinger. Spider-Man swung back toward the goblin with his feet extended. He connected, knocking the goblin of his glider and into a chandelier above the room. The goblin managed to grasp the chandelier and saw Spider-Man swinging right for him. The goblin reared back his free arm and successfully backhanded Spider-Man. A group of guests moved out of the as Spider-Man went careening into a dinner table. For humor purposes, a basket of dinner rolls flew into Jameson's face. Spider-Man slowly picked himself up and his spider- sense went off. The glider was flying right at the hero but Spider-Man dodged out of the way. The glider flew passed him and took out one of the jack o' lantern thugs.

"Better him than me!" the goblin told himself as he hopped back onto the glider.

Meanwhile, Michael did what he could to protect Felicia and May Jane. Mary Jane was particularly concerned for Spider-Man, Peter's safety. The goblin took notice of the redhead gazing at Spider-Man. Well, well! The goblin flew in toward Mary Jane, who was slowly backing away from the villain.

"Well, hello beautiful!" The goblin reached one hand out to grasp Mary Jane until a web line caught it.

Spider-Man was at the other end of the line. "You're not touching her, goblin!"

"Fine," the goblin shouted. "You're my target tonight anyway."

Roderick Kingsley grabbed MJ from behind and pulled her to safety. "Come on, Mary Jane. Let the freaks fight it out."

The goblin pulled hard on the line, pulling Spider-Man with it. Spider-Man was caught by the goblin, who had one of the hero's arms behind him and his forearm around his throat. The goblin took his hostage and crashed through another window to the outer walls of the building before throwing Spider-Man down and hard. Spider-Man fell down some 15 stories before saving himself with a web line. The goblin followed fast and hard, catching a familiar copper ball in each gloved hand. He threw them down toward Spider-Man and they changed into razor bats, the proverbial bane of Spider-Man's existence.

"Aw, not these things again!"

Spider-Man swung across the buildings, trying desperately to escape the razor bats and the rapidly approaching goblin. Then he turned sharply and swung back toward the goblin, snagging one of the razor bats with a web line. Spider-Man swung the bat hard and it slammed into the other bat, causing an explosion. The goblin flew threw the fire of smoke and in coming out, went into a tailspin. Once he managed to right himself, the goblin noticed Spider-Man was nowhere to be found. The goblin scanned the rooftops and walls for a sign, but then Spider-Man caught him from behind.

"Now the glider's on the other foot!" the hero shouted.

"Is it?" the goblin retorted.

The goblin and Spider-Man started trading blows on the still airborne glider, which was flying miles above the city. Spider-Man threw hard shots to the goblin's face, while the goblin rammed his elbow into the hero's stomach. They fought tooth and nail for minutes while soaring through the sky, until the goblin finally won out. The goblin grabbed the web slinger and swung him over his head, slamming him into one of the glider's wings. The impact nearly knocked Spider-Man out but he still managed to catch himself with a new web line. The goblin kept coming, hurling a pumpkin bomb at the hero. The bomb detonated and sent Spider-Man careening in mid air. Still, Spider-Man again saved himself with a line, and slammed back into a wall.

_Yep! It's just like old times!_ he thought.

Spider-Man spotted the goblin flying right for him, hurtling more razor bats at the web slinger. Spider-Man swung out of the way, letting the bats embed into the wall and then lunging at the goblin. The goblin showed his own agility, dodging Spider-Man's lunge and following him across the skyline. The villain could be heard gaining ground (or air) on Spider-Man, cackling along the way. Spider-Man clung to the side of a building and started springing straight up, with the goblin approaching quickly. Just like the web head planned! Spider-Man back flipped miniscule seconds before the goblin caught up to him. Spider-Man snagged the goblin with dual web line and pulled off the glider, swinging directly into the building. The glider flew uncontrolled and out of sight, while the goblin was subdued upside down on the side. Spider-Man met the captured villain face to face, who was still laughing maniacally.

"That was for making me protect Lincoln," Spider-Man snapped, referencing the last action against the goblin. "Why are you after him?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," the goblin mockingly said. "If you really want to know, you could just ask him. Provided he's still alive in another few minutes."

Spider-Man pondered the words before grasping the goblin by his cloak. "What've you done?"

"Just a little parting gift for our dear Mr. Lincoln," the goblin continued with his cryptic messages. "In minutes, Lincoln and the sycophantic suck ups of New York City are going to paint the town. Well, the ballroom anyway!"

Spider-Man didn't have time to interrogate the goblin and swung at high speed back to the ballroom. Meanwhile, the glider returned to the goblin who was cackling nonstop.

------------------------------------------------

There was a lot of commotion back at the ballroom, with the two remaining jack o' lanterns preventing the guests from leaving. Mary Jane was seated at one of the tables with Michael and Felicia, while Lincoln kept a frightening glare at the thugs. Out of nowhere, the thugs were suddenly snagged in a web net by Spider-Man. The web slinger proved to be a sight for sore eyes, especially for Mary Jane.

"Is everyone alright?" he asked aloud.

"Who asked you, bug?" Jameson spat, seconds before his mouth was webbed shut.

"I need everyone to evacuate the room now," the hero warned. "There's a chance the goblin rigged this room to blow."

Everyone in the room did as they were told in an orderly manner, being escorted by Michael Morbius. To Spider-Man surprise, Lincoln stayed behind to search for the bomb. Guess he figured it was party, hence his mess. Spider-Man wasn't going to argue and kept searching beneath random tables. There wasn't any sign off any bomb, and then it hit Spider-Man: the chandelier. The web slinger jumped up onto the chandelier and scanned it. Nothing! No bomb, no bag of trick, no nothing at all. It finally sunk into the hero's head like a rusty needle: the goblin had played him

"No bomb, I imagine!" Lincoln said.

"No," Spider-Man said, lowering to the floor. "The goblin was bluffing the whole time. He had to have escape by now."

"You know, there a certain case of irony here," Lincoln said, hands behind his back. "I offered you a large sum to do exactly what you did here tonight, and instead you it did for free. I have to commend you for that."

"Appraisal from you makes me want to blow chucks," Spider-Man said, firing a web line and swinging to a wall. "This doesn't change a thing between you and me."

"Regardless, The offer still stands." Lincoln said moments before Spider-Man disappeared.

Spider-Man swung back to the last place where he fought the goblin and confirmed what already knew minutes earlier. The goblin was gone, the web net the only thing left where he was subdued. Spider-Man mentally beat himself up for falling for the bluff, even more so for actually and unwittingly helping Tombstone. Sensing no more danger around him, Spider-Man swung back to the ballroom. He still had to confront one very upset fiancé. Unbeknownst to Spider-Man, the goblin was hiding in an out of the way spot, watching with murderous intent.

* * *

Author's note: That…was…long! That was the longest chapter so far and we're still in the single digit chapters. But at least the Hobgoblin has finally been introduced, although he has yet to be identified as such. Read and review as you like and I will catch you later. Remember, no reviews mean no chapters! (Laughs maniacally!)


	8. Conspiracy Theory

Disclaimer: Yo, it's me, it's me, it's, um, KiloWhiskyOscar. Yeah, I know I suck at rhymes. Like as been said on many, many, many, many, many…many occasions, I don't own the rights to Spider-Man or any supporting characters. You can thank Marvel Comics and Stan Lee. Excelsior!

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Chapter VIII  
Conspiracy Theory

No less than 24 hours had passed by like clockwork since the emergence of the new villain in town. J. Jonah Jameson was up to his usual shenanigans of trying to come up with a decent name for the new guy. That, and he was also pinning the blame on Spider-Man, as usual. What else was knew?

"It's been all over town for the passed 24 hours, Robbie," the cigar chomping Editor in Chief said. "A new costumed menace shows up and threatens the greatest humanitarian in the city and we don't have name for him yet. Of course, there's no denying he's in cahoots with Spider-Man."

"Spider-Man was trying to save Lincoln, Jonah," Robbie reiterated. "You're always on his back about his perceived corruption. Need I remind you that Spider-Man saved you from Scorpion?"

Jonah rolled his eyes in annoyance. "You _may not_ remind me. Besides, Spider-Man's as much a threat to this town as the psychos he fights, and this goblin wannabe is no exception," Jonah walked to the window, cigar still in his mouth. "Now we need a name for this creep. Hoffman…"

Right on cue, Hoffman popped right up and startled Jonah. "Yeah, boss?"

Jonah quickly regained his composer, although he was ticked off quite a bit. "Never jump up in front of me like that. How do I know you won't try to blow me up? Now, get out," Hoffman was about to leave as quickly as he came, but Jonah called out, "No, wait, the name! What're we going to call this guy?"

Hoffman started out with, "Um, well, I came up with some interesting ideas…"

Jonah suddenly interrupted, and not for the first time, with, "Wait, wait, I got it; the Hobgoblin. What'd you think, Robbie? Rolls right off the tongue, it sells itself!"

"It's like you said, Jonah," Robbie said. "These weirdoes need a name."

"Damn right they do," Jonah added. "Hoffman, I want the patent office to copyright the Hobgoblin name immediately. I don't want any other newspaper using it, not even the Post. Especially not the Post!"

"Actually, I thought we could call him Jack O' Lantern or Copper Goblin." Hoffman finally said, a couple minutes too late.

"Well, good for you," Jonah mocked. "Patent office, now!"

"Right, Hobgoblin it is!" Hoffman quipped, scurrying out of the office.

Jonah sat back at his desk, tossing the used cigar out the window. He briefly looked his shoulder to make sure the cigar was thrown back into his lap, before switching on his intercom. "Miss Brant, where the hell's Leeds?"

"He's had a bug the past couple of days." Betty answered from the other end of the call.

Jameson was half out of his chair. "He actually caught the arachnid?" he wondered confused.

"No," Betty corrected him. "He's been sick. You know, under the weather? Very ill?"

Jameson shut off the intercom and muttered, "Typical!"

-------------------------------------------------

Peter wasn't normally one for nostalgia. That didn't mean the feeling never once crossed his mind. Peter sat in the living room of his apartment, looking through a scrap book loaded with his best photos of his web slinging escapades. Mary Jane meanwhile was in the shower after finishing another photo shoot. Peter could hear the sound of sprinkling water in the background, but it was but a minor distraction at the moment. He went back to the scrap book, which had pics of Spider-Man battling the likes of Doc Ock, Sandman, Rhino and Shocker. The list went on and on. It could conceivably be considered a rogue's gallery. Peter's focus was on the photos of the Green Goblin. He conjured up a mental image of the first Goblin and tried to compare him with the Hobgoblin. In this image, the Goblin's appeared very similar aside from the different colors of their suits; except, the Hobgoblin outmatched the Green Goblin in every way possible.

_How'd this guy end up with the Goblin's weapons? Who is he?_

The latter question was a damn good one to be sure. When Peter fought the Green Goblin, it turned out to his horror to be Norman Osborn. It obviously didn't end well for Norman. But the Green Goblin was a homicidal maniac with little or no control over his actions. The Hobgoblin seemed more calculating in his actions. More in control. He knew exactly what he was doing the night of the ball room incident. The Goblin wanted Tombstone dead; literally as well as figuratively. Wait a second; how did the Goblin know about Tombstone? As far as Peter knew, no one knew of Lincoln's underground occupations. No one except himself, Jean DeWolff and Ned Leeds. Peter quickly ruled out DeWolff as the culprit, and Peter was at the ball room battling the Goblin. According to Betty at the Bugle, Ned had taken ill and been so well into the evening of the incident. That would've been a likely alibi. Or total fabrication!

"No," Peter whispered to himself. "Ned couldn't be the…" Peter was suddenly brought out of his trance by a knocking at the apartment door. "It's open."

The sound of an opening door was heard, followed by the emergence of Felicia Hardy. "Peter, it's good to see you again."

Peter set his scrapbook aside and stood to greet Felicia. "Hi, Felicia! I honestly didn't expect a visit from you."

"Well, I actually came on Michael's behalf as well as my own," Felicia said. "We were both quite about you two after last nights' incident."

"Thanks. Mary Jane and I are doing fine, all things considered," Peter said, holding a hand out. "Would you care to stay a while?"

Felicia smiled at Peter's generosity. "I suppose I could, but not for long. I still have business later this evening," Felicia entered into the apartment, removing her coat and draping it over her arm. "I see you and Ms. Watson have found quite the place for after you get married. Very homey!"

"It's really all we could afford with our collective salaries," Peter said, rubbing the back of his head. "But hey, a home's a home!"

"Too true," Felicia said, taking a seat at the couch. "As long as you have a roof over your head, its home nevertheless," Felicia caught notice of Peter's scrapbook. "What's this?"

Peter's eyes became wide as saucers. _Oh no! I should've hid that._

"Are these the photos of Spider-Man in action," Felicia asked, intrigued by the pics. "These are very good. The angles add a certain flare of excitement to each one. How do you get these photos without getting hurt or caught up in the chaos?"

Now that was a good question, and one Peter had been given on countless occasions. If Felicia only knew! "Well, I have my methods."

Felicia found the answer to be painfully amusing, and then she caught notice of a particular photo. "This one's interesting. How were you able to get a picture of Black Cat at the museum?"

"Like I said," Peter said, sitting in a chair across from Felicia. "I have my methods."

"C'mon, Parker! There's no photographer walking the Earth that's that good."

"You never know!"

The friendly conversation was suddenly brought to a halt after Peter and Felicia heard a grunting sound. They collectively turned toward the source, which turned out to be Mary Jane. She was wearing a purple bath robe and her hair was soaking wet and stringy over her shoulders. She also had her arms crossed, an eyebrow cocked and a semi amused smirk on her face. A somewhat awkward silence filled the room.

"Um, hello, Ms. Watson." Felicia finally said.

"Hello to you too, Ms. Hardy." Mary Jane responded back.

Felicia stood up from her seat. "I didn't mean to intrude on you. Peter let me in."

Mary Jane glared at Peter and asked, "Is that right?"

Peter just shrugged, and Felicia said, "Well, this is awkward. I should be going. I still prior engagements to attend to," Felicia headed for the door out of the apartment. "I'm sure I'll see you both again in the future, I think. Take care, you two."

"Thanks for stopping by, Felicia." Mary Jane said somewhat half-heartedly. Once Felicia was gone and the door closed, Mary Jane returned her gaze at Peter.

"What?"

Felicia exited out the front entrance of the apartment and onto the sidewalk. She strolled down several blocks before turning sharply into an alleyway where no one would see her. Odd! Why would an heiress take such a dangerous route? Felicia glanced over her shoulder to make certain that no one was following her. When she was in the clear, Felicia opened her purse and slowly pulled out a black eye mask. A smirk formed on her face as the sun began to set in the distance. Minutes later, the silhouette of Black Cat hopped onto the roof of a building and sprinted to the edge. Black Cat stopped short of the edge and gazed across the rooftops. She took a long, deep breath of the night air and the smirk grew wider.

"It's going to quite a night." Cat told herself before disappearing over the edge.

---------------------------------------------------

The ball room was nothing short of a mess after the unwelcome visit from the new villain on the block. The NYPD was on hand to commence with the forensics, led by the anti-lovable Capt. DeWolff. It was reasonable to assume that L. Thompson Lincoln was fuming, if that were possible. Some people were asking him question nonstop, mostly very stupid questions. Others talked about the behind the scenes goings on. Either way, Lincoln had to address them albeit begrudgingly. The fact that at the very moment, DeWolff was right in his face didn't help matters.

"If it isn't New York's _esteemed_ Mr. Lincoln," DeWolff mockingly said, much to Lincoln's distain. "Looks like your contributions didn't sit too well with some people. Particularly, the super villain community."

"I find this to be most irregular, captain," Lincoln said. "I've answered questions from numerous members of the press and the police and now I find myself reduced to speaking to you."

"The feeling's mutual," DeWolff spat, arms crossed. "But what I find to be irregular is a psychopath who dresses like everyday is Halloween, and attempts to kill one of New York leading philanthropists. What could possibly be the reason for that, I wonder?"

Lincoln leaned in so he was face to face with DeWolff. "I can very much assure you, sweetheart, that I have no idea why the so called Hobgoblin would threaten me."

"Don't call me sweetheart," DeWolff snarled. "I'm anything but sweet."

"Your personal lack of tolerance for me notwithstanding," Lincoln snarled back. "I can tell you that I will expend every resource at my disposal to expose this person. Now if you'll excuse me…"

Capt. DeWolff allowed Lincoln to depart for the moment, returning to the crime scene. Meanwhile, Lincoln stepped into the nearest elevator and hit the appropriate button. He eventually reached the penthouse floor of the high rise and then entered his office. It was there that Lincoln noticed something was amiss; one of his windows was open. Spider-Man no doubt, probably reconsidering Lincoln's job offer. Lincoln heard a faint ringing and reached into his suit pocket, taking out a cell phone.

"Lincoln?"

There was no answer for a few moments before someone answered. "You've reached the office of the Big Man. He's not available at the moment," The chair at the desk turned and sitting there was the Hobgoblin himself, phone in hand, feet on the desk and a sick grin on his face. "Would you like to leave a message?"

Lincoln shut off his phone, less than amused at the Hobgoblin's sick sense of humor. "You've most certainly made quite the lasting impression last night."

The Hobgoblin tossed the phone aside and stood tall at the desk. "As have you over your career. It takes a great deal of effort to be a philanthropist, a crime boss and your own personal enforcer all at the same time. Must be very tiring!"

Lincoln cocked his pale white head to the side, the sound of bones crackling under the pressure. "You've obviously attacked me yesterday for a reason, same thing here. I won't ask but I _will_ demand an explanation."

"I think you know exactly what my reasons are, big boy," the Goblin said, dragging his index and middle fingers across the desk. "You see, I don't go against anybody without learning of their dirty little secrets. Oh, and what secrets you hold!"

Lincoln very slowly approached the desk behind which the Hobgoblin stood. The expression on his pale face never seemed to change, nor did it show a hint of anger. The Hobgoblin however, seemed to retain an amount of twisted glee in taunting Lincoln. How much did he truly know about L. Thompson Lincoln? Or was he bluffing?

"I suggest you should be getting to the point of this whole ordeal," Lincoln said. "Otherwise, I strongly advise that you depart, before I take you apart limb from limb."

"Straight to the matter at hand, are we? I like that in a walking corpse," the Hobgoblin gloated and leaped onto the desk. "The point is I know everything about New York City's favorite humanitarian, from your mob enforcer days to right about," the Hobgoblin twirled his index finger in the air, and then jammed it into the desktop. "Now! I wonder what people would say if they knew the _real_ L. Thompson Lincoln. Or would you prefer Tombstone? Either way, it'd be very bad for public relations."

"Just skip to the end, Goblin," Lincoln snapped. "What do you want from me?"

The Hobgoblin didn't answer right away due to his glider flying into the office. Lincoln needed to duck out of the way when the bat shaped machine flew over him. It could've taken his chalk white head off otherwise. The Hobgoblin jumped onto the passing glider and hovered over Lincoln in a circle.

"Since you asked so nicely," The Hobgoblin threw his arms to either side and announced, "I want this! I want your entire criminal empire; all of it and not just the seedy underbelly of Manhattan but the whole damned state of New York. Is that so much to ask?"

"You're crazy, Goblin," Lincoln calmly said. "You clearly have delusions of grandeur of you think you can overthrow me."

"Oh, I don't think, Lincoln. I know," the Goblin said, and the glider ascended higher above Lincoln. "Think about it for a moment; an important, upstanding rock head such as you would find it awkward if certain secrets were revealed about his day to day operations."

"I doubt the people of this city would have the time or inclination to believe the word of a flying lunatic." Lincoln said.

Have it your way, Tombstone," the Hobgoblin flew toward the open window, turning back toward Lincoln. "You have until noon tomorrow to step down as the Big Man. Otherwise, I start sharing secrets."

Lincoln remained defiant. "That won't happen!"

The Hobgoblin began cackling as the glider back up slowly toward the window. Lincoln made a move to catch the villain but the Goblin threw a razor bat at him. The razor bat embedded itself into Lincoln's right shoulder, throwing Lincoln into a flail. Lincoln righted himself and pulled the razor bat out, leaving a four inch gash in his shoulder, yet he seemingly felt no pain. Lincoln glared at the open window, realizing the Hobgoblin was already gone. Lincoln approached the window and spotted the Hobgoblin flying into the distance against the darkening sky. The Goblin could've just as easily killed him right at that moment. But he was playing with Lincoln, and Lincoln was a far cry from amused. Lincoln, by that point, would've loved to unmask the Hobgoblin, if only to rend him asunder. Perhaps Lincoln would get the chance. Perhaps!

* * *

Author's note: Now we can officially call him the Hobgoblin. YAY! Reviews are very much encouraged. Stay tuned for the next chapter.


	9. Synergy

Disclaimer: !levraM ot gnoleb lla yehT .naM-redipS ot sthgir eht nwo t'nod I dna 9 retpahC rof kcab m'I (Yes, I did right the disclaimer _backwards_. I just though it'd be _really funny_! HA HA HA HA HA HA!)

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Chapter IX  
Synergy

"Paging Hobgoblin! Paging Mr. Hobgoblin!"

Spider-Man patrolled above the city streets as the day was well into the late evening hours. The Hobgoblin's trail had gone cold since the incident. If he hadn't fallen for that bluff, Spider-Man could've unmasked the Hobgoblin and be done with it. At least until the next lunatic reared his ugly head! Spider-Man landed on a building side and went into a seated position. He watched the countless lights of vehicles all moving at a snails' pace thanks to the usual traffic jams. The hero's thoughts went back to the Hobgoblin and his current whereabouts. Facts had to be faced; there was no trail and no lead. Only the endless frustration that Spider-Man was enduring.

"This is like trying to find a goblin in a funhouse," the hero told himself. He glanced at the clock above a nearby courthouse. "It's almost midnight. If I don't get home, Mary Jane's gonna hang me by my own webs. And I'm not even married yet!"

Spider-Man shot out a web line and got set to head home for the night but noticed movement on the lower rooftops. Black Cat again. There was no mistaking the platinum hair against the shadows. What was she up to this time? Spider-Man knew he had to find out and he gave chase after Black Cat. He kept a reasonable distance to ensure Cat didn't catch him. Cat meanwhile was leaping from rooftop to rooftop to an as yet unknown spot in the city. Cat eventually came to rest on the rooftop of an antique store and gazed down into the back alley. A small group of crooks were busy loading the loot into a white moving van.

Cat had to shake her head at the sight. "Amateurs."

Relying on his stealthy movement, Spider-Man came to rest behind Black Cat. "What's new, pussy cat?"

Black Cat turned to Spider-Man and smiled, as if she knew all along of the hero's presence. "Please tell me that's not your best pick up line."

"Hey, cut me some slack," Spider-Man quipped. "It seemed appropriate at the time."

"Well, I hope your face is as cute as your sense of humor," Black Cat quipped back at Spider-Man. "Now, run along home, spider. I got business to attend to."

Cat turned back toward the ledge but Spider-Man jumped in front of her. "I can't let you rob another place, Cat. Besides, I don't want my superhero license revoked."

"Look down there, spider," Cat pointed down into the alley. "These yahoos are the culprits at the moment. I was just going to make them see the error of their ways. So to speak!"

"Sure you were," Spider-Man said, unconvinced. "And I'm a Cajun thief!"

"I tell you what," Cat said, leaning closer to Spider-Man. "Let's you and I teach these loser that it's not nice to steal."

"How do I know I can trust you?" Spider-Man asked.

"Oh c'mon," Cat pointed to her face. "Does this look like the face of a liar," Cat put up one hand with two fingers extended. "I _promise_ I won't do anything naughty. Not unless you want me to!"

Spider-Man was blushing under his mask. "Um, let's just catch these guys."

The web slinger crawled down the wall into the alley, while Cat whispered, "Mm, my kitty sense is purring."

The alleyway thugs were still loading the valuables into the back of the van. One thug said, "Hey, how much you guys think this stuffs worth?"

Another thug said, "I ain't waiting around to find out. Let's just jet this stuff loaded into the van before Spider-Man shows up."

Spider-Man crawled down the wall and quipped, "It's a little late for that!" Black Cat lowered herself right beside him.

The goons were more confused to see Black Cat rather than Spider-Man. One of them asked aloud, "Who's the babe?"

"Aw, now that's just rude!" Spider-Man said, feeling somewhat ignored.

Black Cat just smiled. "I think it's sweet, spider. Of course, that won't save you losers."

One of the thugs pulled out a gun and aimed, only for Spider-Man to web it up. He pulled hard to yank the gun, pulling the gunman along with it. The other thugs pulled out their weapons and fired, and Spider-Man and Black Cat dodged bullet after bullet. Black Cat leaped over two thugs and one motion, clocked their head together. She leaped over another thug and flipped him into a series of crates. Then Black Cat rested her gaze on a diamond encrusted cat statue. It just gleamed in Cat's eyes.

"Hello kitty!"

Spider-Man fired a series of web spheres which knocked out two goons and then turned to Black Cat. "Cat, I know it's very shiny but you promised."

Cat responded to Spider-Man, "I know, I know!"

Spider-Man sensed another attack by two thugs and webbed their ankles. He pulled hard and they went flying and hit the ground hard. Spider-Man bounded to the ground and webbed up both thugs before another thugs came at him with a crowbar. The hero sensed the attack and ducked, swept his leg directly under the thug. The thug ended up face planting the ground and breaking his nose. Meanwhile, Black Cat practically owned the last two thugs, ducking between their attacked and back flipping out of reach. She landed on a wall and then sprung right off, landing in between the thugs. Then she performed a split, just as one thug hit the other with a piece of wood. The injured thug got snagged with a web line by the web slinger, while Cat, in her split position, hit the last thug where it hurt the most. Then Cat rose back up, blew a kiss to the hapless goon and roundhouse kicked him in the face and knock him out. Spider-Man tied up the remaining goons and looked on in smug satisfaction.

"I've got to admit, Cat, we make a good team." The web slinger said without turning.

"We should do this more often, spider." Cat said in a seductive voice.

"Yeah, maybe," Spider-Man said and then waited for another response but received none. "Cat," the hero called before turning. Black Cat was gone again, along with the statue. "What the…? Aw, that is _so_ not cool!"

--------------------------------------------

Jean DeWolff had had a long day. Considering Lincoln's apparent lack of cooperation in the Hobgoblin matter, who could really blame her? Being that it was close to midnight, DeWolff could no longer bring herself to give a damn. All she really wanted was to go home, take a shower, and pour some coffee and/or smoke. And she did smoke! A lot! Jean left the police station and a gleam of light caught her attention. She looked down and her face was rank with shock. The cat statue from the previous heist was staring right at her.

"What the hell is this?" Jean asked rhetorically.

Jean picked up the statue and examined it closely. How the blazes did it end up at the front door of the New York Police Department? Jean scanned the surrounding streets but found no trace of whoever left the statue behind. Then Jean looked up and saw Black Cat atop a building across from the station, her back to DeWolff. She turned and the two woman locked eyes. Cat looked at DeWolff and smirked before disappearing into the night, while DeWolff stood at the steps in total astonishment.

"Where do all these people come from?"

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The person who said "No rest for the weary!" deserved a swift kick in their lower regions. At least that was what Peter thought as he was taking photos at a press conference in Tribeca at midday. L. Thompson Lincoln was to be delivering a statement on the recent events of the previous couple of days. Peter looked around briefly at a sea of new crews and other people and Ned Leeds. Peter hadn't seen Ned in the past few days, Ned having been ill around the same time the Hobgoblin emerged. That alibi was certainly questionable, as Peter began to wonder if Ned was behind the event. Ned spotted Peter looking his way and waved at Peter, to which Peter simply nodded. Ned strolled up to Peter, and Peter half expected his spider-sense to go off but it didn't.

"Hey Pete!"

"Hey Ned," Peter acknowledged Ned. "Where've you been? Haven't seen you the passed few days."

"Didn't Betty tell you," Ned wondered. "I've been sick lately. I would've been at the ballroom if things were different."

"I guess so!" Peter said. Maybe he was wrong about Ned being the Goblin. Maybe.

L. Thompson Lincoln arrived at the podium. "Ladies and gentlemen, as you are all aware, New York has been terrorized as of late by a ruthless villain who calls himself the Hobgoblin, who most recently threatened and attacked me. As of yet, there is no concrete evidence or motive to this attack but I can assure that I am undeterred in my own motivations to make better this city. I give you all my solemn word that the NYPD will stop at nothing to apprehend this menace, and I will spare no expense to aiding their efforts."

Peter took shot after shot before his spider sense went off. It was going ballistic and soon Peter, as well as everybody else, knew the reason why. Soaring through the open sky line like a bat out of Hell, the all too familiar whine of a high powered engine sounded. It was followed by the sickening cackling of the Hobgoblin.

"Time's up, Lincoln!"

Lincoln stared straight up into the sky as the Hobgoblin came barreling toward him. Many people in the crowd began panicking and seconds later, the Goblin tossed a pumpkin bomb straight at his target. The Goblin ran into a problem he didn't expect; Peter Parker actually tackled Lincoln from the podium and to the ground. The bomb impacted the podium and exploded, reducing the podium to shrapnel. Peter and Lincoln impacted the ground with thud, a faint cloud of dust kicked into the air. The Hobgoblin screamed in barely contained rage and gunned the engine for another pass. Lincoln and Peter rose to their feet and Lincoln was slightly stunned.

"Thanks, son!" Lincoln said. "What's your name?"

In the back of his mind, Peter was throwing up at being thanked by Lincoln. "Parker! Peter Parker! Gotta go!"

Peter ran for the nearest alley to slip into his costume. He glanced back to the panicked crowd and saw no sign of Ned Leeds. Was Peter right? Were Ned Leeds and the Hobgoblin one in the same? Peter didn't have time to ponder the notion. The Hobgoblin was making another run for Lincoln. Lincoln was being quickly escorted into his limousine but the Goblin was barring down on him with a bomb in hand. He never got a chance to throw it, as it was yanked out of his hand by a web line and the Goblin was spun around. The bomb detonated in mid air, and Spider-Man came swinging through cloud of smoke. Spider-Man nailed the Goblin with a double kick to the jaw, throwing the Goblin off the glider although he still held on.

Spider-Man landed on a wall and shouted, "All flights are canceled, Red Baron. Sorry to disappoint."

"You again," the Hobgoblin shouted as he climbed back onto the glider. "Who do you continue to protect Tombstone? You owe him nothing."

"Believe me, Hobby," Spider-Man shouted back. "I could care less about that walking slab of granite. But I won't let you kill innocent people to just to get to him."

"How can you hope protect anyone when you're dead?" the Hobgoblin argued before tossing a razor bat at the hero.

Spider-Man immediately flipped up the wall and leaped over the errant razor bat and then lunged at the Hobgoblin. The Goblin caught him and just as quickly flipped him up and over. Spider-Man saved himself with a web line and swung right back the Goblin, who was barring down on him as well. The web slinger's spider sense went off again and, in slow motion, caught the Goblin brandishing a blade with an electrical current coursing through it. It was all too reminiscent of the blade used by the New Goblin. The Hobgoblin swiped wildly at Spider-Man, who dodged a couple swipes. Spider-Man landed on the glider and connected hard with a sharp right hook to the Goblin face, or mask more specifically. He threw another hook that connected even harder than the first but the Goblin head butted him away. The Goblin took a wild swipe, this time slashing through the fabric of Spider-Man costume. Spider-Man bounded away onto the closest wall he could find and felt where the Goblin sliced him. There was a long gash no deeper than two inches and it stung sharply. Spider-Man looked back to find the Hobgoblin not where he was before, but chasing after the limo transporting Lincoln. Lincoln looked out the back window to spot the Goblin rapidly closing the distance.

"Faster, driver," Lincoln calmly said. "We have to lose him."

The Hobgoblin was gaining speed and was almost literally on top of the car until Spider-Man was literally on top of him. "Stay out of this, arachnid!"

Lincoln watched Spider-Man and the Hobgoblin duking it out on the flying wing before noticing a nearby car lot on Forty-Fourth St. "Driver, get to the car lot. Go, go, go!"

The driver did as he was told and swerved wildly into the car lot, with the Goblin hot on the trail. Too late! The car was gone from view and the Goblin was a far cry beyond angry as the glider flew up the side of the lot. He grasped the still hanging on Spider-Man and punched him in the stomach. The Goblin gunned the engine of the glider and climbed into the sky, with Spider-Man in his grip.

"I had Tombstone right where I wanted him, if you hadn't gotten in my way, Spider-Man," he shouted. "Now, you're going to _pay _dearly for your interference."

Spider-Man defiantly quipped, "You take checks?" Then he webbed the Goblin blind and jumped from the glider.

As he fell, Spider-Man fired a series of web spheres at the Hobgoblin, who manage to pulled the webbing from his face. Spider-Man was still falling, yet he was still firing web spheres in rapid succession. The Goblin was quickly and violently on Spider-Man like lightening and deliver a strong punch to his masked face. The Goblin arched back up into the air, fully expecting Spider-Man to be reduced to a red and blue stain on the pavement. But Spider-Man saved himself with a web line that snagged the glider. Angered more now, the Hobgoblin gunned the engine yet again and climbed hard and fast into the sky. Spider-Man held on as they soared into the wild blue yonder, miles above Manhattan.

"I hope you're enjoying the scenic tour of the village." the Hobgoblin shouted down at Spider-Man.

"Some tour, Hobby," Spider-Man shouted back. "It's kind of dull without a bag of peanut and a Will Smith movie. On top of that, I'm in nosebleed territory."

"It didn't have to be like this, Spider-Man, if you'd only stayed out of my business," the Goblin said. "Now there's nothing left for you but to simply go, "SPLAT!"

The Hobgoblin began performing barrel roles and loop-a-loops, as if he were the main attraction of an air show. A sick and demented air show! Spider-Man was hanging for dear life. He was also struggling to breath at that altitude. Not even his battles with the Green Goblin were this tasking. Spider-Man was losing consciousness quickly until he finally lost is grip on the web line and dropped like a stone back to Earth. The Hobgoblin brought the glider to a halt and watched Spider-Man rapidly shrink in the distance, satisfied. Spider-Man was barely conscious when found himself falling fast toward Manhattan.

_Well, I guess now's as good a time as any_, he though. He brought his wrists close together. _Please, let this work._

Spider-Man shot out dual web lines that began to mesh together in mid air. The webbing began to merge in the air and form a thick sheet, almost like a parachute. Holding taut on the initial lines, Spider-Man's descent slowed down just enough for him to catch his breath. He descended slowly toward the rooftops until he was close enough to land. Spider-Man released the chute and rolled onto a rooftop, coming to rest in front a young couple and startling them. The web slinger was breathing heavily and looked at the astonished pair before slowly standing up.

"Sorry to drop in announced!"

The couple look at each other and then back at the hero and one said, "It's cool!"

Spider-Man nodded and hopped onto a ledge and scanned the surrounding area for the Hobgoblin. Nothing, not even a stray razor bat! Spider-Man swung back to the press conference and into an alley, changing back into Peter Parker. When he emerged, Peter search hi and low for Ned Leeds but found no sign of him. Was it really true? Was Ned Leeds masquerading as the Hobgoblin all along to get to Tombstone? Peter wanted in the worst way to be wrong. So very, unquestionably wrong.

* * *

Author's note: Are we having fun yet? Did you like the goofy disclaimer? Is Elvis still alive? Wait a minute! Um, just read and review (and laugh if you like!)


	10. The Ultimatum

Disclaimer: My sincerest apologies for the delay! My computer, more or less, crapped out on me and all the documents from all my stories were erased. At least most of them were already finished and uploaded onto the site! For the record, I don't own the rights to Spider-Man or any supporting characters.

* * *

Chapter X  
The Ultimatum

_"It was an incredible scene just earlier this afternoon when the criminal known as the Hobgoblin staged a daring daylight attack on L. Thompson Lincoln. Luckily, Spider-Man was able to drive off the criminal, allowing Mr. Lincoln to escape unharmed. The Hobgoblin has yet to be apprehended."_

A razor bat impacted the television set which erupted in a shower of sparks. The Hobgoblin was furious, evident by his throwing a steel table over and onto the floor. A series of goblin weapons littered the floor as the Goblin pounded the top of a second table with his fists. Every shot left a dent before the Goblin pulled off his rubber mask. His face remained concealed by the hood that was part of the cloak and he was breathing very heavily.

_I had that mummified freak of nature dead to rights, _He thought._ But that little insect had to interfere not once but twice._

The Hobgoblin's heavy breathing finally slowed and he was able to regain his patience. It was then that he had an epiphany: Lincoln would never fall as long as Spider-Man was to continue interfering. The Goblin knew he had to rid himself of that annoying wall crawler, but how was he to go about it? Then he glared at the destroyed television monitor and the proverbial light bulb went off. Soon after, the Hobgoblin began laughing maniacally.

------------------------------------------------

Mary Jane was a busy girl these days. She couldn't blame Peter for being unable to help in any way, shape or form. Considering Peter was often busy trying to catch a cat themed thief and a re-colored goblin, Mary Jane just didn't dare try to blame him. Of course, that didn't stop her from secretly wishing to kick Peter in the backside. The thought did occur often as Mary Jane gazed a triple mirror of herself in a white wedding gown, mathematically the third of seven or eight. Her long time friends from Midtown High, Liz and Sally, were with her to assess the dresses.

"What'd you think, girls?" MJ asked. She turned toward Liz and Sally, waving the lower half of the gown back and forth.

Liz was the first to speak. "Well, I like this gown in particular, but I'm not too keen on the strapless deal. The last thing you'd want is for Flash to whistle your way."

"I still can't believe Peter asked Flash to be his best man," Sally spat. "The nerve of that geek…"

"Oh stop it, Sally," MJ was quick to silence Sally for obvious reasons. "You've been hard on Peter since high school."

"That's the understatement of the century," Liz added, chuckling along the way. "Sally's been rough on everybody."

Sally shrugged. "I can't help myself. It's just my nature."

"You should find a new nature, girl." Liz quipped.

The girls kept joking around about, well, girl stuff, until they finally decided on the perfect gown for Mary Jane. It ultimately turned out to be a white full body gown, which ensured no skin would show. Mary Jane found it refreshing, since she's gotten enough affectionate gazes during the photo shoots. The girls finished up in the dressing room and approached the store counter, where they met with a very flamboyant male store clerk.

"Hello, ladies," he said with a somewhat effeminate tone. "I trust you found everything you were looking for."

"Yeah, I think we got everything we need." MJ said.

The clerk slapped his hand together and said, "Wonderful! The groom must a very lucky man."

_In more ways that one! _MJ thought, smiling along the way.

Coincidence suddenly took a major u-turn when Felicia Hardy was walking by. She stopped short when she spotted Mary Jane at the counter. "Mary Jane?!"

Mary Jane turned sharply to face Felicia. She wasn't exactly pleased to see her. "Oh, hi Felicia. What brings you here?"

Felicia seemed to sense that Mary Jane wasn't too thrilled to see her, although she couldn't pinpoint why. "I'm assuming I caught you at a bad time."

"Oh no, not a bad time, per say," Mary Jane said. "To be honest, Felicia, I'm just not that fond of you, considering you've seemed to have taken a liking to Peter."

"I beg your pardon, Mary Jane," Felicia said, retaining her considerable composer. "But I think you're a little bit misinformed of the relationship between your fiancé and I."

"Yeah, Peter's my fiancé," Mary Jane reiterated. "I not sure I appreciate you trying to move on him while I'm around."

For some reason, the store clerk interjected himself into the conversation. "Ladies, please, there's no reason to quarrel like this. Can't we all just get along?" Mary Jane and Felicia both glared at the clerk, who promptly squatted out of sight.

The ladies went right back to glaring at each other and Felicia broke the silence. "Look, Mary Jane, I think you have your facts mixed. Don't get me wrong; Peter's a very likable guy. Even Michael likes him! But he's your husband to be and I wouldn't dare try to steal him from you."

"I'll just bet!" Mary Jane said, unconvinced.

"I'll tell you what, let Michael and I take you and Peter out for dinner sometime," Felicia said in hopes of convincing the semi-suspicious red head. "I know of a beautiful restaurant in SoHo and we can all get to know each other a little better."

Mary Jane had to hand it to Felicia. She wasn't willing to give up so easily at warming up to her. Admirable! Or maybe she was just trying to make nice! Still, Mary Jane felt in her core that Felicia was being sincere. Mary Jane was inwardly kicking herself acting so paranoid, yet she still couldn't shake the feeling of mistrust.

"That's very thoughtful of you, Felicia, but I'm afraid I'll have to pass."

Felicia sighed, defeated. She reached into her purse and pulled out a credit card. "Then at least let me pay for your dress, as a show of good faith."

Mary Jane sighed and said, "I can take care of this myself."

"I insist!"

Now Mary Jane was feeling defeated at Felicia's generosity. "Fine; it's your money."

The store clerk stood up from his hiding spot. "Ah, platinum! My favorite!"

Mary Jane cocked an eyebrow at Felicia, who just shrugged it off. For once, Mary Jane found it to be quite amusing. But that didn't she'd warm up to Felicia Hardy anytime soon. The two overheard another store employee who was complaining over a shoddy TV monitor. Old fashioned things like that would be obsolete in this day and age. When the employee though he'd finally got a signal, he was stunned to see the Hobgoblin staring back at him. The sudden appearance caused the employee to, embarrassingly, scream like a girl.

"I interrupt your regular programming to deliver a message to everyone's favorite bug," the Goblin announced in an arrogant yet commanding tone. "Spider-Man, I know you're watching this broadcast. I know you must be hiding in plain sight under your pathetic civilian identity, but I could care less about you look like under that mask. So I suggest you watch and listen, real, real good."

MJ and Felicia were shocked and astonished that the Hobgoblin appeared so suddenly and that he was specifically addressing Spider-Man. But they weren't the only ones catching the broadcast.

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"When I first arrived in New York, it was my intention to usurp power from a certain rock-faced freak and become the new Big Man of crime," the Goblin said. "It would've came to fruition if a certain wall crawler hadn't interfered."

The offices of the Daily Bugle were buzzing upon see the Hobgoblin. Jameson in particular was nonchalantly chomping on a cigar. But inside, he was shaking down to his bone marrow.

The Goblin continued on. "You're first intervention made no never mind to me whatsoever. I was more than willing to dismiss the ordeal as mere rotten luck. But upon the second outing, your continue interference cost me the opportunity to do away with my target. And I just _cannot_ let that slide again."

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The Goblin's broadcast was seen everywhere on every available television screen in the city. Anywhere there was a television or radio present, the broadcast was being seen or heard.

"Now, you've forced my hand, Spider-Man. I have no choice but to forgo my original ambitions and focus my wrath upon you."

They were watching the exact same broadcast at the NYPD. Capt. DeWolff was hanging on to every word. It was the same thing at Columbia University, as Michael Morbius and a class full of students watched on intently. Even Aunt May was watching the broadcast from her apartment. At his estate, Tombstone had his sickly yellow eyes fixed on the freak that twice tried to kill him. The broadcast was most profound in Times Square. Strangely enough, Peter was among the sea of bystanders watching the show. Seeing the Hobgoblin on the big screen as he was, Peter tried to recall the last time a super villain ever did that. He drew a total blank.

"But simply killing you won't be enough for me at this point," the Goblin said. "I feel the need to humiliate you. To break you from within! Hence forth, I deliver an ultimatum; Spider-Man must unmask for the whole world to see and turn himself into the authorities."

Peter's mouth nearly went agape. Not even the Green Goblin was this sick in the head and he was deranged psychopath. The Hobgoblin was just as twisted, maybe more. But there was a certain sense of logic behind his madness. The Hobgoblin continued his citywide broadcast.

"To ensure that my threat is not a pointless bluff, people will suffer every 24 hours starting tomorrow at 5 pm," he threatened. "That is unless you reveal your face, Spider-Man, and I do suggest you do so. If not, then any forthcoming deaths will be on your hands. I am not the monster here, Spider-Man. You brought this on yourself."

The Hobgoblin went into a twisted cackling and just as quickly as he first appeared, he disappeared from the screen. As expected, different reactions were displayed all over New York City. Mary Jane had both her hands over her mouth and very subtly shook her head in denial, while Felicia just stood next to MJ in silence. Tombstone leaned back in his chair with an indifferent and cold expression on his face. Michael rubbed his chin and was deep in thought, while some of his students whispered amongst themselves. Capt. DeWolff was, like Tombstone, largely indifferent. Aunt May had a stunned and terrified look on her face upon seeing the Hobgoblin. It stirred up painful memories of the Green Goblin that she'd want to live without. Jameson was sitting in his office still chomping his cigar, seemingly calm but boiling inside. Above all else, Peter had to be horrified with this shocking turn of events. Of all the villains he'd battled over the years, the Hobgoblin had to be the most calculating. Peter walked down the sidewalk until he found a payphone. He dropped a coin into the slot and dialed the appropriate number. A couple rings later and someone answered.

"Daily Bugle, Miss Brant speaking!"

"Betty, it's Peter. Do you know if Ned's down at the Bugle?"

"No," Betty said. "I haven't seen Ned since the press conference this afternoon. I thought he was with you."

Peter swallowed hard and heavy. Did Ned Leeds send that threat under the guise of the Hobgoblin?

"Peter, what happening," Betty asked, scared for Ned. "Is Ned alright? Is he in trouble?"

"It's nothing, Betty," Peter said. "I'm just feeling a little spent after the conference. I'll see you later."

Peter hung up the phone and mentally kicked himself for lying to Betty. He had to. He couldn't attempt to expose Ned as the Hobgoblin without any concrete proof. He also couldn't drag Betty into this mess without exposing himself as Spider-Man. Peter was backed into a corner. The Hobgoblin thought it all through perfectly and things for Peter, and Spider-Man, had gone from bad to worse.

* * *

Author's Note: That clinches Chapter X for Spider-Man 5 and now it's getting serious. Let me know what you think and have a Happy Memorial Day.

On a serious note, I offer my condolences to the loved ones of actress Lucy Gordon who recently passed away. Ms. Gordon is best known for her appearance in Spider-Man 3 as Jennifer Dugan.

In Memory of  
Lucy Gordon  
1980-2009


	11. Collateral Damage

Disclaimer: Another day, another chapter and another round of gibberish from me. I still do not own the rights to Spider-Man or the supporting characters. They are the property of Marvel Comics.

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Chapter XI  
Collateral Damage

Spider-Man swung across the buildings high above the streets, coming to a rest beside a stone gargoyle and removing his mask. Ever since the Hobgoblin's threat, every New Yorker had been on edge in fear of their individual life. Emotions had been thoroughly mixed, so much so that Peter couldn't make heads or tails of anything. Why shouldn't they be? The people of New York were in essence, now chafing under the grip of a mad man dressed for Halloween. Some citizens held out a bastion of hope that Spider-Man wouldn't unmask and take down the Goblin. Other weren't so enthusiastic, demanding that the hero unmask and spare them the senseless slaughter to come. Hell, the byline of that day's Daily Bugle read: "NEW YORK CALLS FOR SPIDEY UNMASKED."

Peter would be more than happy to take of the mask and show the world his face, but that would only serve to further his already numerous problems. He was going to marry MJ in less than twelve days, so unmasking was currently not an option. Well, it was an option, just not a good one. Peter felt a very faint vibration within the side of his costume and reached beneath the fabric, pulling out a small cellular phone he'd bought recently. At least Peter could afford one now with the extra pay from the Bugle, thanks in no small to the alien symbiote that very nearly destroyed his life. Peter quickly glanced at the ID, which read the name of his fiancé and answered.

"Mary Jane? Is everything okay?"

One the other end, Mary Jane answered back. "Yeah, everything's fine. I'm at Aunt May's apartment. She and I are going to meet the "_fabulous_" Miss Hardy and her beau at the Theatre District."

Peter chuckled slightly. "That's a surprise. I thought you and Felicia weren't getting along."

"Yeah, well, I felt I was being unfair so I'm going to give her a chance." Mary Jane sensed that something was bothering Peter. "Is everything okay, Peter? You sound distracted."

Peter had to hand it to Mary Jane. She always seemed to know when he was bothered. Maybe she had a spider-sense! Mary Jane was one of the few people who knew that Peter Parker was Spider-Man. It's been like that ever the battle with Doc Ock. It often put her in danger, more times than either of them would care to count. Other times, Mary Jane was able to cover for Peter so he could save the day. But she knew, through woman's intuition, that something was bothering Peter. Peter had to be honest.

"It's the Goblin," Peter sighed. "He hadn't made his move since his threat. That was two days ago."

"Well, maybe he was bluffing, like the night of the ballroom incident." Mary Jane suggested.  
"Maybe, but I can't take that chance," Peter said. "I'm going to take one last patrol around the city and then I'll catch up with you later."

"Okay, be careful. I love you, Peter."

"I love you too."

Peter shut off the phone and stuffed it back into a slit in his costume before pulling his mask on. Spider-Man dove from his perch and let loose a web line and fired another to get hang time. With each swing, he scanned up into the sky and down to the streets and side to side between buildings. No Goblin, no glider, not even a stray pumpkin bomb. The web head started to think as he swung across the sky that maybe the Goblin really was bluffing. If that was the case, maybe Peter was wrong to think that Ned Leeds was the Hobgoblin. Hell, he'd actually run into Ned at the Bugle that morning and never received a warning from his spider-sense. Nothing was out of the ordinary, expect for Ned putting the moves on Betty. Not that Peter was going to complain. Then again, Ned did have a lot of info on the Big Man, AKA Tombstone, AKA L. Thompson Lincoln. Maybe Ned felt the need to take matters into his own hands. If so, Spider-Man would have to get involved and stop him, even it meant helping Tombstone. As the wall crawler thought about it, his spider-sense went off and everything slowed to crawl. Spider-Man's vision scanned the surrounding area in 360 degrees. It centered on a lone copper sphere coming right at him from his 10'o clock. Spider-Man barely managed to get clear of the ensuing explosion but he was still blown into a concrete wall. He quickly shook of the throbbing headache and flipped up onto his gut, head down. As expected, the Hobgoblin hovered up in front of the hero, a demented smile permeating his face.

"Where ya been, Hobby," the web slinger asked. "I haven't seen you since you left that god awful music video!"

"Been lookin' for you, arachnid," The Goblin mockingly said. "Give any thought to my generous ultimatum?"

"If I _did_ take off the mask, then what would I call myself," Spider-Man quipped. "…The Amazing Guy Who Can Swing From Sticky Ropes? Bit of a mouthful if you ask me! Beside, the eyepieces really bring out my colorful side."

The Goblin shook his head in disappointment. "I would've expected you to take this more seriously," Then he shrugged. "Ah well, I can always tear off that mask along with your head."

The Hobgoblin tossed a series of razor bats toward Spider-Man, who was able to weave and dodge out of their paths. The bats became embedded into the wall but that didn't stop the Hobgoblin from continuing his rampant assault. Bombs and bats were sent hurtling toward Spider-Man, who dodged and weaved in between every chance he could get. The hero was ill prepared to get slammed by the goblin glider. Still, Spider-Man managed to get behind the Hobgoblin and grab hold of him. The Goblin remained in control and drove the back of his head into Spider-Man's face and forcing the web slinger off the glider. Spider-Man saved himself with a web line going straight up and like a bungee cord, he was catapult upwards. Spider-Man clung to a wall as the Hobgoblin repositioned himself and tossed more razor bats. The web slinger avoided them easily and retaliated with a series of web spheres. The Goblin blocked the spheres and the two foes reached a stalemate.

"You know, Hobs, the whole razor bat thing getting kind of old."

"Too true," The Goblin surprisingly agreed. "I'll try something a little more _original_."

The Hobgoblin extended his two index fingers and aimed directly at Spider-Man. Without warning, Spider-Man was under fire from lightning quick bolts of electricity. He had to be even quicker than normal just to avoid the bolts. Spider-Man tried desperately to find an opening in between the attacks and finally tempted fate by lunging at the Goblin. Fate won out and Spider-Man was blasted out of the sky and through a window into a conference room. He slid uncontrollably across a long table until he reached the end and hit the floor. The Hobgoblin hovered up to the broken window, displaying that psychotic grin.

"So, what do ya think of my finger blasters?" the Goblin mockingly asked.

Slowly, Spider-Man picked himself off the floor and breathing heavily. "Okay, that was original. They could use a name change, though."

"Tell me, Spider-Man," the Goblin said. "Do you feel like unmasking now? Or better yet, let's you and I work together to bring Tombstone down for good."

Spider-Man immediately sprung up and fired more web spheres, most of them bashing the Hobgoblin and stunning him. "As tempting the offer is, I don't work with anyone yellow. Or, you know, psychotic. As far the mask thing goes, maybe you should unmask too, just so we can make it even."

"You wish," The Goblin turned the glider sharply and started flying away from Spider-Man. "C'mon, wall crawler! Let's play Follow the Leader!"

Spider-Man leaped out of the destroyed room to the outside and watched the Hobgoblin rocket away from him. Oh no! The Goblin was headed in the direction of the Theatre District. Mary Jane was headed there, along with Aunt May. Did the Goblin know that, or was he just toying with him? Spider-Man didn't take the time to think about it and swung after the Hobgoblin.

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Unaware of the approaching danger, the quartet of Mary Jane, Aunt May, Felicia and Michael journeyed through the Theatre District. Mary Jane was feeling just slightly awkward about being among the many theatres. She hadn't been around there since she was let go, although she was over that ordeal. Felicia insisted that MJ come along in another attempt to get on her good side regarding Peter. So far, MJ was still a bit skeptical but like she told Peter earlier, she would at least give Felicia a chance. Meanwhile, Michael was speaking with Aunt May about Peter. The way that May spoke of her nephew made Michael further admire and respect Peter even through all the adversity he'd gone through since his Uncle Ben died.

May changed the conversation around and went to Felicia. "So Felicia, how long have you and Michael been together?"

"Michael and I have been dating for about four months," Felicia answered with a beaming smile on her face. "We met in Prague when my mother and I were on a business trip."

"Where is your mother now?" May asked.

"She's still oversees running the Hardy Foundation's European building," Felicia said. "But Michael was already planning to come to the states so I accompanied him, just to keep him out of trouble."

Michael lowered his face into one hand. "I'd like to think I'm smart enough not to get in trouble."

"Well, maybe Miss Hardy wants trouble to strike," Mary Jane suddenly added. "Maybe she'd like Spider-Man to swing and save her."

"Mary Jane!" May reprimanded the red head.

"It's alright, Mrs. Parker," Felicia said. "I guess Ms. Watson is a bit suspicious of me."

The quartet brushed a middle aged man, who turned out to be Roderick Kingsley. "Why would that be, I wonder?"

Mary Jane turned to spot Kingsley. "Mr. Kingsley, what're you doing here?"

"You know how it is, Mary Jane," Kingsley said. "A man of my stature is out for an afternoon stroll and he run into his favorite model. Such a small world we live in!"

"We haven't seen much of you, Mr. Kingsley," Michael added. "Not since the ballroom incident with the Hobgoblin."

"I blame Spider-Man," Kingsley said. "None of these lunatics were around before he showed up," Kingsley noticed Aunt May. "I'll go out on a limb here; you must be May Parker."

"Yes I am," May confirmed. For some reason, Kingsley made her feel uneasy. "Peter doesn't say much about you."

"Peter doesn't fully know me, so he can't say about much about me," Kingsley said. "But I have made crystal clear to him my distain of a certain wall crawling menace."

"I disagree, sir," May said. "Spider-Man saved my life at one time. I believe him to be both a hero and good citizen of New York."

Kingsley leaned up to May. "That still doesn't change _my_ opinion."

Michael stepped up between the bickering pair. "I see no reason for any one of us trade barbs."

Felicia and Mary Jane just looked at each other and shrugged. Then the group heard the sound of thunder. Mary Jane looked up and didn't see a cloud in the sky. Whatever the sound was, it was getting louder; and closer. The sound brought all the activity on and around the streets to a screeching halt. Soon after, people began running for their lives when they spotted the Hobgoblin rapidly approaching. He had Spider-Man in his clutches and they were fighting atop the glider until the Goblin had the upper hand.

"Why don't you just give up, arachnid?"

Spider-Man got loose from the Goblin's grip, and he clung to the glider's underside. "Cause I know who you are under that mask!"

"Do you," The Hobgoblin reached down to grab the elusive wall crawler but missed. He searched high and low, and side to side. "We all wear masks, Spider-Man. It's just question of which one is real."

A moment later, Spider-Man was behind the Goblin and grasped him tight. "You can the charade, I know you're Ned Leeds. I know you have information that exposes Lincoln as the Big Man of crime and instead, you want to kill him and take over his empire."

"Me, Leeds," the Goblin caught Spider-Man by his head and threw him over his head to the streets. "You'll believe anything, won't you?"

Spider-Man landed on a street light, flipped around and came to rest atop of it. "Prove me wrong then, Hobs."

The Hobgoblin wasn't going to waste his time arguing with Spider-Man and tossed a pumpkin bomb. Spider-Man dodged the oncoming copper sphere and it exploded upon hitting the ground. The shock wave blew Spider-Man into the air but he righted himself with a web line, just in time to come under fire from more of the Goblin's electric blasts. The Goblin broke off his attack just in time to avoid a double kick from Spider-Man. The Goblin tossed a razor bat but Spider-Man released his, performed a corkscrew leap over it, and kept swinging right for the Goblin. Spider-Man finally closed the distance between himself and the Goblin and tried a mighty leap over him, but the Goblin struck him with a very strong electric blast. Out of control, Spider-Man went careening into theatre marquee and crashed right in front of Mary Jane and Aunt May. May in particular froze in fear upon seeing the Hobgoblin, the sight of him conjuring up images of the Green Goblin from the past. She could still remember that monster hovering over her, forcing her to finish her prayer.

"Ladies, into the theatre, hurry, hurry," Kingsley suddenly said. "Mr. Morbius, get these women to safety."

Michael did as Kingsley requested and guide Mary Jane and company into the theatre. Meanwhile, Spider-Man was trying to pull himself up after being catapulted into the marquee earlier. Kingsley glared at the fallen wall crawler and then directed his attention to the Hobgoblin. They locked eyes, as if they _knew_ each other. Then the Hobgoblin broke into a maniacal cackling, moments before hurling a razor bat right toward Kingsley. Kingsley attempted to rejoin Mary Jane and company but he never made it. The razor became embedded into his back and Kingsley sank to his knees. He glanced at a shocked Mary Jane and seconds after that, slumped to the side and went limp. The Hobgoblin prepped another razor bat but his hand was caught in a glob of webbing. Spider-Man pulled hard on the line, and thus the Goblin from his glider and the ground below. Spider-Man lunge at the Goblin at tackled him to the ground hard.

"Murderer!"

"I'm the murderer," The Goblin mockingly asked, before head butting Spider-Man in his masked face. Then the Goblin tossed Spider-Man onto the windshield of a parked car. "I told you someone would die if you didn't unmask. That poor man's blood is your hand," The Goblin grasped Spider-Man's throat and began to squeeze. "And soon enough, I'll have your blood on my hands."

The Goblin squeeze hard and tight and Spider-Man was finding it extremely difficult to breathe. Spider-Man could feel himself fading, his sight blurring. The Hobgoblin retained his malicious grin as he could feel his foe slipping into unconsciousness. A little while longer and Spider-Man would be dead. Then the Goblin could commence with the unveiling. But the Goblin didn't expect to be suddenly knocked away by an unseen force, allowing Spider-Man to catch his breath. The hero looked up and saw Michael Morbius standing there with a blunt object.

"Are you alright?" Michael asked.

Before Spider-Man could answer, the Hobgoblin was already standing up. He was not happy. "I think you'll find that most unwise!"

Mary Jane and Aunt May were already inside the theatre, but Felicia was still outside. "Michael, don't be a hero. Get inside!"

The Hobgoblin made a move to grab Michael but Spider-Man nipped up and kicked him to the ground. The Goblin picked himself up off the ground and glared at the hero. He finally decided he'd done his damage and sprinted to his glider and gunned the engine. The Hobgoblin rose into the air, glared at Spider-Man who was still trying catching his breath before rocketing away. Spider-Man could barely breathe much less stand and needed Michael's help.

"I've got you, Spider-Man." Michael said.

"Thanks for the assist," Spider-Man said. "You better get to cover. He might come back," Spider-Man and Michael could hear sirens approaching from up the street. "Oh, and don't let the police blame this on me."

Spider-Man shot out a web line and leaped into the air, going out of sight afterwards. Michael took Felicia and rushed into the theatre. They caught with Mary Jane, who was at the front row with Aunt May. Upon seeing her, May didn't appear well. Mary Jane was the first to notice and gently set her down to her knee.

"May, are you alright?"

May's breathing was shallow. "I don't feel well, Mary Jane."

Felicia and Michael approached the pair, where Felicia felt May cheek. "She's burning up."

"She very, very pale," Michael added before turning Mary Jane and Felicia. "Stay here, I'm going to get some help."

Michael quickly rush up the aisle from the theatre and into the hall. Felicia and Mary Jane remained with May, who was breathing shallow and sweating profusely. Mary Jane held May's hand in hers, wishing that Peter was with them at that moment.

--------------------------------------------

Spider-Man swung for blocks and in the last known direction the Hobgoblin had taken, eventually coming to rest on a ledge. As it was many times before, the Hobgoblin was long gone and Spider-Man left ticked off. By now, Spider-Man was thoroughly convinced that the Goblin was Ned Leeds. There couldn't be anyone else. Sooner or later, Spider-Man would have to confront Leeds and it wouldn't be pretty. Regardless of whether he was right or wrong, one thing was for sure for Spider-Man: he really, really hated goblins.

* * *

Author's note: OH MY GOD! I killed Kingsley. YOU BASTARD! That's some serious shi---shish-ca-bob. That's brings chapter XI to an end. Tell me what you think and stay tuned for the next chapter.


	12. Masquerade

Disclaimer: IT'S ME AGAIN! Somehow, I survived getting drawn into a super massive black hole and lived to tell the tale. (Those of you who actually believed that diatribe, you are EXTREMELY gullible!) I don't own the rights to Spider-Man or any supporting characters. (What a shock!)

* * *

Chapter XII  
Masquerade

Peter stormed through the double doors upon entering Manhattan hospital, coming to a sudden stop at the front desk and startling the receptionist. "Can you tell me where're you keeping May Parker?"

"She's being kept in Room 191." the reception quickly said.

Peter almost immediately bolted toward that destination, ignoring the receptionist's plea to stop. He didn't want to believe what had happen when Mary Jane informed him of Aunt May's condition. The last time May was in the hospital, it was due to the Green Goblin. It felt like Daja Vu, this time involving the Hobgoblin. The difference was that Peter felt very much at fault because he, as Spider-Man, was there and didn't act quickly enough. First Uncle Ben, now this? Peter's mind was racing at light speed when he eventually reached Room 191. There were a handful of people there, including Mary Jane, Felicia and Michael. Aunt May laid in the hospital bed unconscious, with a doctor standing of her. Mary Jane had tears streaming down her face when Peter entered the room.

"Peter!" Mary Jane quickly embraced Peter.

Peter eventually released Mary Jane before going to kneel by Aunt May. "What happened? Is she going to be okay?"

"You're aunt collapsed according to you friends, possibly due the shock of the earlier attack this afternoon," the doctor said. "For the moment, she's in stable condition but we'd like to keep her here overnight just to be safe."

Peter didn't respond, or was even paying any attention to the doctor's word. He was holding May's hand in his own. He was also cursing himself for his irresponsibility. He felt he should've been able to protect Aunt May from the Hobgoblin's assault, even though the Goblin didn't physically harm her. Then there was Roderick Kingsley. Peter should've been able to save him as well, despite Kingsley's obvious distain for Spider-Man. He didn't deserve to die, no matter how much he possibly hated the hero. For all Peter knew, the Goblin was probably out there, killing random people just to get Spider-Man to unmask. While Peter didn't respond to the doctor, Felicia did.

"Doctor, with your permission, I would like to assess the hospital bill."

The doctor cocked an eyebrow at Felicia request. "I suppose that won't be a problem. If you could, Miss Hardy, meet me out in hall so we may discuss thing properly."

The doctor left the room and Felicia looked over at Peter with Mary Jane huddled over him. Michael was by the window looking out into the city. He remained very silent so as not to cause a stir, but he was deeply concerned for May's wellbeing. He just wouldn't show it. Felicia redirected her attention to Peter and MJ, while Michael came out of his trance and approached her.

Michael placed one hand on Felicia's shoulder and whispered, "I believe we should give them some time alone for now."

Felicia nodded and turned to Peter and MJ. "Peter, for whatever it's worth, I'm sorry about your aunt." Felicia said nothing more after that and accompanied Michael out the door to the hall.

Mary Jane entered the hall soon after. "Felicia," she called. Felicia did respond and turned toward Mary Jane. "I owe an apology."

"For what, Mary Jane?" Felicia asked, curious and somewhat confused.

"For being so suspicious of you, and doubting your sincerity," Mary Jane said. "I felt as if you were trying to steal Peter away and I was wrong on so many levels."

"Stop, Mary Jane," Felicia said, putting a hand up. "You don't have to apologies for anything, so none of our past issues matter. What does matter is that Peter needs you in this troubling moment."

"Thank you, Felicia!" Mary Jane said before letting Felicia go on her way.

Mary Jane returned to the room to find Peter at the window, staring blankly out into the city. She wondered what was going through his mind at the moment. Was Peter thinking about Aunt May lying in a hospital bed? Was he thinking about Uncle Ben? Or maybe Harry or even Norman! Or was thinking about the Hobgoblin? Mary Jane wanted to approach Peter, to comfort him or say anything to ease the pain. But what could she say? Mary Jane decided to take that chance as she slowly approached Peter.

"Peter, are you okay?"

Peter didn't answer right away. He couldn't without snapping, which he was very close to doing. As calmly as he could, Peter finally said, "Why does everyone I love always have to be the ones who suffer?"

That was a rhetorical question, one that Mary Jane didn't answer. "Peter, I don't think there was any way you could've known this would happen."

"I was right there, Mary Jane," Peter snapped. "I could've stopped the Hobgoblin right then and there. Instead, I let people die and Aunt May is laying on a hospital bed. For all we know, she may never wake up. And it's my fault. Just like Uncle Ben's death was my fault."

"Uncle Ben's death wasn't technically your fault," Mary Jane argued. "You know that better than anyone."

Peter refused to hear it. "Yes it was, Mary Jane. Indirectly or not, I could've saved my uncle. I could've saved Harry and his father. I could've save Dr. Octavius or Eddie Brock," Peter sank into a chair in a state of despair. "Maybe the Goblin was right; maybe Spider-Man _is_ the monster."

After a long, trying moment of despair, Peter stood up and started for the door. Mary Jane quickly asked, "Where're you going now?"

"I'm going to end this," Peter said, determination in his tone. "The Hobgoblin wants Spider-Man unmasked; he's going to get his wish. But first, I'm going to unmask the Hobgoblin and make him answer for his crimes."

"How," Mary Jane asked. "You don't even know where to find him."

Peter went silent for a brief moment, and then said, "Yes I do."

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Chaos seemed to be the order of the day down at the NYPD, which was something Jean DeWolff balked at more often than not. A total of seven casualties were reported at the Theatre District, and one elderly woman collapsed from shock. Jean couldn't quite bring herself to give a damn. She wasn't technically being cold-hearted like some of the more questionable cops but stuff like that happened everyday. Of course, Jean got stuck cleaning up the mess. She was currently outside the department smoking a cigarette when a lower ranking officer approached.

"Chief, I got something I thought you'd want to see."

Jean yanked the cigarette from her lips and huffed. "It better not be something pointlessly romantic."

Far from it," the officer assured the captain. "I was doing a background check on one of the victims of the Goblin attack: Roderick Kingsley."

"The fashion designer and media tycoon?" Jean clarified, more for herself than the officer.

The officer handed Jean a small stack of papers. "Oh, this guy did more than just make dresses and perfumes."

Jean retained a very indifferent expression as she started flipping through the papers. With each page that she examined, Jean's expression slowly went from indifferent to surprised to shocked and back to surprise. Apparently, Jean's findings turned up some very interesting facts about the late Mr. Kingsley. Jean assumed right then and there that more would be revealed upon her asking of a certain chalk-skinned businessman.

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L. Thompson Lincoln had his shot lined up perfectly. He glared straight at the lone queue ball and reared back with the queue stick and took the shot. The little white ball struck a green ball and that one rolled slowly toward the hole that would be it resting place. The ball never made it, instead being caught in the waiting hands of an all around uninvited guest. Lincoln glared at the intruder, who turned out to be Jean DeWolff.

"Oops," she mockingly quipped. "I guess I screwed up your shot."

"Capt, DeWolff, you seem to be making a habit of pestering me," Lincoln said. "I have nothing further to discuss with you."

"You sure about that, Lincoln." Jean asked as she threw the paper she'd brought with her onto the billiard table.

Lincoln looked at the paper, cocking his head at the information to stared back at him. "I have no response to this whatsoever."

"Is that right, because it seems to me that you know more about Roderick Kingsley than you would let on," Jean said, leaning forward on the table. "And vice versa! It appears that Big Man and Kingsley were associates in the criminal circuit quite some time. Then you must've done something to upset Kingsley as he left a while later. Then along came the Hobgoblin. Strange coincidence, don't you think?"

"Is there a point to any of this, DeWolff?" Lincoln snapped, annoyed by the relentless police captain.

"I'd be willing to bet my ridiculous monthly salary that Kingsley hired the Goblin to take you out," DeWolff said. "Then Kingsley could just waltz in and take over your criminal empire."

"There's still one outstanding issue," Lincoln said matter-of-factly. "If, and this is a _big_ if, Kingsley hired the Hobgoblin to kill me, what could drive the Goblin to kill Kingsley instead? That doesn't quite to fit in your little conspiracy puzzle."

"Maybe the Goblin wanted your empire all to himself, and he killed Kingsley to ensure it would happen." Jean said.

"Well if that is the case, maybe you should ask Kingsley himself," Lincoln mockingly suggested. "That's assuming you can raise him from the dead. Either way, none of this helps in proving that I'm Big Man, so you're very much left with absolutely nothing."

Jean felt somewhat defeated, so she took the paperwork and started for the door out of Lincoln's office. "You can't hide behind the bureaucrats forever, Lincoln. I _will_ find the evidence to put the Big Man away for good. You can quote me on that."

Jean DeWolff stormed out of the office, leaving Lincoln to smirk at her latest defeat. But DeWolff's Intel was quite solid. Roderick Kingsley did have a brief association with the Big Man. Then Kingsley got greedy and wanted the Big Man's operations for himself. So he talked some lowly thug to dress up some Halloween costume to take out the Big Man. Ironically, Kingsley was killed by the very psychopath he allegedly created. Something didn't add up, that much Lincoln knew and Kingsley was the only one who could answer the mounting questions. Unfortunately, neither Lincoln nor DeWolff would ever be able to find out.

-------------------------------------------

The Daily Bugle was actually a little quieter than normal for a change, something Ned Leeds noticed as he was exiting the elevators. He had a portfolio underneath his arm and an air of triumph in his step. Ned had succeeded in gathering the evidence he so feverishly searched for in his efforts to expose the Big Man of crime. Take that, Capt. DeWolff! All Ned needed to do was show it all to Mr. Jameson and hope he'd approve its running. Betty seemed to notice the spring in Ned's step and could tell he was on cloud nine, so to speak. In the relatively short time they've worked together, Ned and Betty had become very fond of each other. They'd sometimes never get any further than a brief flirtation before Jameson came out and yelled at Ned not to harass his secretary. Maybe once Ned delivered the goods, Jameson would show some leeway and get off his back. Meanwhile, Peter entered the office and quickly spotted Ned talking to Betty. Peter wanted to march right over to Ned but what could he possible say. He didn't have legitimate, concrete evidence that Ned was the Hobgoblin.

Ned spotted Peter approaching him. "Hey Pete! We heard through the grapevine about what happened to your aunt."

"How's she holding up?" Betty asked.

Peter stammered slightly but managed to say, "Well, she's alive, thank goodness for that. The doctors said that she collapsed from shock and there's no word when she regains consciousness."

"Man, I hope it all works out," Ned said, seeming genuinely concerned. "I'd be going ballistic if it was my aunt."

"Yeah," Peter mumbled before quickly changing the subject. "Listen, Ned, I need to talk to you right away. It's really important."

"What about, Pete?" Ned asked.

Out of nowhere, Jameson came booming out of his office. "Leeds, I don't pay you to stand around looking clueless. Get in my office, pronto!"

"Sorry, Pete, it's going to have to wait." Ned said before rushing into Jameson's office.

"Ned, wait!" Peter said, too late as Ned was already in the boss's office.

Betty noticed Peter's uneasiness. "Peter, are you feeling okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

_More like a goblin!_ Peter thought. He leaned close to Betty so as not to be heard. "Betty, I think Ned may be in serious trouble."

"From who, the Hobgoblin?" Betty asked.

Again, Peter stammered on finding an answer. "Betty, I think…I think Ned _is_ the Hobgoblin.

Betty said nothing at first, instead stared blankly at Peter as if he'd grown an extra head. "Peter, what are you talking about? Ned can't be the Hobgoblin. He couldn't have been masquerading. Like that night of ballroom incident, Ned was sick when the Goblin first showed up. And earlier today, Ned was here at the Bugle all day."

"What if it was all a ruse," Peter said, becoming more agitated by the second. "What if Ned set all that up so he could change into the Goblin."

"Peter, stop it," Betty suddenly snapped. "That enough! How could you possibly accuse Ned of being that lunatic? I thought you were better than this."

"But Betty…" Peter tried to say but Betty put her finger up.

"I don't want to hear anymore of this garbage, Peter."

Just then, Ned stepped out of the office, looking silent and dejected. Then he threw his arms up in the air and performed a bizarre victory dance. "The boss is going to run my story in tomorrow morning's paper. I could se the headline," Ned put his hand and envisioned a headline "BIG MAN REVEALED! So, what do you guys think," Ned looked at Peter and Betty and a very awkward silence filled the space between the three. "Was it something I said?"

"I think it was more like something Peter said," Betty answered, glaring at Peter. "Go on, Peter, didn't you have something to tell Ned?"

Peter didn't need his spider sense to know that Betty was very upset with him. Ned interjected himself into the conversation. "Yeah, Pete, you did have something you wanted to discuss with me."

"Well, yeah," Peter was choking under the pressure. A very large part of him wanted to ditch it and forget about Ned allegedly being the Goblin, but he took the chance anyway. "Ned, I think I might know who the Hobgoblin is."

"Man, this day just gets better and better," Ned said, ecstatic. "Lay it on me, Pete! I'm all ears."

Betty sat at her desk thinking, _Please, Peter. Don't do this._

Peter got primed and ready to reveal that Ned Leeds was allegedly the Hobgoblin before his spider sense went off. And it went off big time! Everything slowed to an enormous crawl and Peter could see everything around him. Slowly, everything began returning to normal time. Then the far wall imploded in a shower of debris and chaos in the Bugle ensued. Peter was thrown off his feet and to the floor, along with Ned and Betty, whom Ned caught to break her fall. Peter collected himself and then heard the all too familiar whine of a high powered engine. Standing atop the menacing bat-like glider, ever arrogant and narcissistic, was the Hobgoblin. The one and only! The look on Peter's spoke volumes of shock and astonishment.

"Peter Parker," the Goblin shouted, pointing directing at Peter. He hopped off the glider and grabbed Peter by the collar of his jacket and they were face to face. "I hear tell that you're the foremost expert on getting photos of Spider-Man."

"What do you want from me?" Peter said, desperately fighting to get loose.

"I want Spider-Man," the Goblin growled. "You know where and how to find him, and you're going to bring him to me, if I have to rip out your throat."

Jameson stormed out his office after being thrown off his feet earlier. "What the hell's going on out here," Then Jameson spotted the Hobgoblin glaring at him. "You again?"

"Shut your mouth, old man," The Goblin shouted before dragging Peter and dangling him out of the hole the Goblin created "Now then, Mr. Parker, share with me the location of that wall crawling coward, before I start taking lives! Staring with yours!"

"Let him go!" the seemingly unafraid voice of Ned Leeds sounded.

The Goblin reared his face back at Ned. "You stay out of this, you little punk." The Goblin reared his right arm back and extended the arm blades.

Ned didn't, or probably couldn't flinch, instead holding his ground. "You want Spider-Man, right," The Hobgoblin glared directly at Ned, cocking his hideous yellow face. "Let Peter go and you can have Spider-Man."

"Is that right," The Goblin pondered. He glared at Peter for a long moment before tossing Peter back into building, right to the floor. The Goblin quickly grasped Ned. "Tell me, punk; where's Spider-Man?"

Ned was unable to answer right away, but he did eventually. "It's me! _I'm_ Spider-Man."

The Goblin simply cocked his head in astonishment. This little punk kid was Spider-Man? Absolutely absurd! Peter stared utterly shocked at Ned's bold declaration. The expression on his face was matched by those Jameson, Robbie and Betty. Especially Betty! Jameson's jaw was agape. All this time, Spider-Man was just some kid working right under his nose. Peter was the most shocked, because he knew Ned was lying. It was probably to buy some time for the real Spider-Man to arrive. But it was time that Ned was rapidly losing.

"So, you're the wall crawler, kid?" The Goblin snarled. He didn't sound all that convinced.

"Yeah," Ned answered. "So just take me and leave my friends alone."

"Well, that's very noble of you," the Goblin mockingly said, slowly stalking towards Ned. "Unfortunately, I'm afraid I'm not taking prisoners today."

The Hobgoblin suddenly bolted directly at Ned, pulling out the electric blade along the way and he thrust hard. Time seemed to just stand still. Ned could feel the blade digging into his stomach, the electrical current coursing through like poison. Peter was frozen solid in place, while Betty could be heard screaming at watching the horrifying turn of events. The Hobgoblin removed the weapon and Ned fell to the floor. A red stain formed and grew wider with each passing second as Betty crawled to her fallen friend. Ned breathing was going shallow as tears streamed down Betty's face.

"You monster," she screamed. "He was defenseless."

The Goblin simply hopped onto his glider and stared, uncaring and cold hearted. "If you want to blame somebody, blame that hypocritical arachnid for letting your little boyfriend die. If anyone is a monster, it is and will always be the _real_ Spider-Man."

The Hobgoblin gunned the engine and soon after took off into the horizon. Chaos and confusion ensued afterward, as Betty cradled the limp form of Ned Leeds. Robbie had rushed into Jameson's office to call for the authorities, while Jameson was sitting flabbergasted on the floor. Of all the people, Peter was the most shocked. He had believed Ned to be the villain when all along, Ned was never the Goblin. Peter's mind became a whirlwind on confusion and all he could do was watch Ned Leeds slip away into Death's embrace. At the same time, the Hobgoblin had already slipped away into the darkness, his identity still a total mystery.

* * *

Author's note: Chapter XII comes to an emotional end and I think it safe to say that things are becoming very personal. So, let me know what ya'll think and I'll catch you later.


	13. Guilty Consciences

Disclaimer: I'm back for more, and thankfully, I didn't allow myself to be abducted by aliens (unless they were female.) Yep, I got issues! But I don't own the rights to Spider-Man, so it's not all bad.

* * *

Chapter XIII  
Guilty Consciences

Funerals were obviously nothing new to Peter, but he hated attending them nonetheless. Suffice to say, his distain of such moments grew every time he had to pay his respects to someone who had left this world. In his case, it was usually somebody Peter cared about; Uncle Ben, Norman Osborn, Harry and now, Ned Leeds. Peter felt very much at fault for Ned's death, whose funeral forced Mr. Jameson to postpone all activity at the Bugle. That included running Ned's Big Man story. Peter looked around at the select few people attending the funeral, which included several Bugle personnel. Mary Jane was there with him, although she never knew Ned personally She came for Peter's sake. Among the mourners were Mr. Jameson himself, along with Robbie and Hoffman, and Betty. Peter felt worse now. He knew Betty was closer to Ned than anyone, yet she hadn't said one word since she arrived. At least not to Peter! By the time the funeral had ended, Peter was able to catch to Betty just as she was leaving.

"Betty, wait," Peter called out. Betty turned around and she just stare blankly at Peter. "I'm sorry about Ned. I know you two were close and…"

Betty turned and delivered a very sharp slap across Peter's face, one that Peter felt he very much deserved. "I don't want to hear it anymore, Peter. Spider-Man should've saved Ned. I believed him to be a hero, believed that he was making New York a safer place. Maybe I was wrong."

Coming from Betty, that hurt Peter worse than anything the Hobgoblin threw at him. Betty didn't say anything else after that, instead walking away from a disheartened Peter. Mary Jane approached Peter and held his arm in hers. In essence, Mary Jane could sympathies with Betty, having lost Harry herself. Peter was feeling probably the most dejected he'd ever felt in his life. In a way, Betty was right; Spider-Man _should have_ been able to save Ned. Spider-Man _should have_ prevented the Hobgoblin from killing Ned. In the end, all Peter was left with was guilt.

"Peter, are you feeling okay?" Mary Jane asked, putting her hand on Peter's shoulder.

"No," Peter solemnly said. "As a matter of fact, I feel worse. This is just _too_ much."

Peter started walking across the cemetery with Mary Jane following close behind. Mary Jane had seen Peter down before more times than she'd cared to count. She thought about the night on the 59th Street Bridge, when the Green Goblin had Peter defenseless while he was holding on to Mary Jane for dear life. She'd thought about the battle with Doc Ock and how all of New York was in unimaginable danger. Then there the double teaming by Sandman and Venom high above the city streets, a night that ultimately led to the death of Harry Osborn. Yet, through all of that, plus the battles against Scorpion and the Lizard, Peter persevered as only he could. Now, knowing exactly where Peter was going, Mary Jane had to agree that this issue with the Hobgoblin was too much, and was going too far, too fast. Mary Jane finally caught up with Peter, who was crouched in front of a familiar gravestone: the one that belonged to Ben Parker.

"I don't know how much more of this madness I can take," Peter said with a slight whisper in his tone. Mary Jane knelt beside him. "I can't keep going like this. It has to end."

Mary Jane looked at Peter, wondering where exactly he was going with this. "What are trying to say, Peter?"

"I'm say this is it," Peter said. "I'm done with Spider-Man. The Goblin wants Spider-Man unmasked then he's going to get it."

"You can't give in like this, Peter," Mary Jane protested, trying to reason with Peter. "You think that even after you unmask, the Hobgoblin's going to stop?"

"What would you have me do, Mary Jane," Peter suddenly snapped. He sounded as if the symbiote returned with a vengeance. "What should I do, if at all?"

"Maybe endure, maybe fight," Mary Jane snapped back. "Didn't Uncle Ben tell you about great power and great responsibility?"

Yep, Mary Jane was obviously striking a nerve. But she was dead right. "Yeah, that's what he said."

"Then ask yourself, Peter Parker," Mary Jane continued on. "Do you think Uncle Ben would want you to give up like this? Because I don't."

Peter was about ready erupt, but he knew Mary Jane was right. He didn't bother to respond to the question. He simply stood and started walking away toward wherever he cared to go. Mary Jane didn't follow, instead remaining knelt by Ben Parker's grave. Maybe she went too far this time around having such temerity to question Peter's resolve after all he'd endured. Only time would tell from that point on.

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It didn't get any easier for Peter as he was in his full costume and clinging to a wall overlooking the city streets below. The Hobgoblin had succeeded in turning the majority of the city against the web slinger, all demanding he take off the mask. J. Jonah Jameson wasn't helping matters improve, having offered a one million dollar bounty on Spider-Man. For once in his life, Peter was worth something he couldn't collect. How was that for cruel irony? Peter was very strongly considering giving up his double life. Why shouldn't he? Aunt May was in the hospital, where Peter should've been instead of being downtown. Ned Leeds, Roderick Kingsley and whomever else were dead thanks to the Goblin and Spider-Man was the prime target in all the anarchy. Peter thought it all through long and hard, and he finally decided that Spider-Man must unmask. But the Hobgoblin had be to taken down first, and then maybe Peter could finally find peace. At least things couldn't get any worse. Peter suddenly felt himself getting thrown, or rather kicked off the wall and fell some feet down. He managed to catch himself with a web line and was yanked back up before clinging back to the wall. Thankfully, Peter was wearing his mask, so who or whatever knocked him off the wall didn't see his face.

"What was that?" he wondered. Spider-Man looked up toward where he was originally perched and balked at who was there in his place.

Black Cat was crouched on a ledge, smiling from ear to ear at surprising the web head. "Good to see you again, spider. How 'bout a little game of Tag? You're it!"

"I am not in the mood to play games, Cat." Spider-Man warned Cat. At the same time, he wondered why Cat never triggered his spider sense.

"C'mon, spider," Cat laughed. "So what if the half the city is after you. You can't let that stop you from having a little fun."

"Oh gee, I'm glad you find humor in the misfortunes of others." Spider-Man sarcastically snapped, shooting a web line toward Black Cat.

Black Cat effortless dodged to one side and let the line streak by, still smiling along the way. "You're no fun all worked up like this, spider," Black Cat shot a wire and shot up the wall like a bullet, reaching the rooftop in no time. "You should loosen' up some! You'll be better off!"

Spider-Man cringed as Black Cat disappeared from sight and scaled up the building after her. Upon reaching the roof, Spider-Man found Black Cat all the way at the other end glancing back at him. Cat playfully blew a mock kiss toward Spider-Man and then hopped off the roof to the next building. Spider-Man gave chase, hopping from his current area to next building after the beautiful thief. As he chased after Black Cat, Spider-Man was still trying to figure out why she never triggered his spider sense when she attacked him. It _was_ an attack, wasn't it? Was Spider-Man experiencing another glitch in his powers like when he fought Doc Ock? None of that really mattered at the moment as Black Cat bounded from rooftop to rooftop, with Spider-Man hot on her tail. They eventually reached the looming skyscrapers, where Cat shot a wire up one of those monsters. In a show of grace that only she possessed, Black Cat was literally sprinting up the side of the building. Spider-Man clung to the side and continued his chase of Black Cat. He was utterly surprised that Cat was now sprinting across the side rather than straight up. She stopped right in front of him, hanging from the wire that was attached to her waist.

"Okay, that's pretty impressive!" Spider-Man quipped.

"I've got more where that came from, spider," Cat quipped back. "But you'll have to catch me first."

Black Cat soon started sprinting down the building side, leaving Spider-Man asking himself, "Where does she learn this stuff?"

Spider-Man gave chase after Black Cat down the side, although he didn't need to sprint downward, crawling instead. The hero quickly caught up with the thief and Cat just playfully waved at him. Spider-Man picked the up the pace and scampered further down until he came to a stop several feet below. Black Cat was closing in on Spider-Man, who was waiting for her to arrive. Cat stopped short just inches from the web slinger and bounded off the building side, somersaulted in mid air and landed, literally like a cat, on an opposite building rooftop. Again, Cat arrogantly blew another kiss toward Spider-Man, who was blushing underneath his mask.

"Show off!"

Black Cat didn't respond to Spider-Man's word, at least not verbally. Instead, she took to taunting the web head further by turning and, well, seductively shaking her _assets_. That would've been more than enough to distract just about any man. It got Spider-Man's attention! Black Cat started bolting out of range as Spider-Man shook of the distraction and went after her. Quite frankly, Spider-Man should've been more concerned with trying to fight crime, or at least be at Aunt May's bedside. But he was actually starting to have fun chasing Black Cat all over the rooftops. Cat was literally somersaulting from rooftop to rooftop and scaling up one building after another, always keeping a reasonable distance from Spider-Man. Spider-Man wasn't about to let that little hellcat win this round and picked up the pace, rapidly closing the distance. He tried to web up Cat's leg whenever he was close enough but Cat kept on avoiding the lines at every opportunity. Eventually, Black Cat leapt for another building ledge and landed, but the ledge was rendered weak from years of erosion and it cracked. Cat lost her footing and fell fifteen feet down before Spider-Man swung in and caught her. Spider-Man ascended back into the air with Black Cat in his arm and they came to rest on another ledge. Cat looked down toward the street and then turned to Spider-Man.

"My hero!" Cat said in a very seductive tone. She started tracing her index finger across Spider-Man's mask.

Spider-Man instinctively pulled away, possibly out of fear of Cat removing his mask. "You could've been killed if I hadn't caught you."

Cat just seemed to laugh off the Spider-Man's constant worry. "I'm so much more than capable of saving myself, not that I don't appreciate the assist. But at least I know you care about my personal safely."

"You're hard to figure out, lady," Spider-Man commented, remembering the past events of his encounters with Black Cat. "One minute, you're stealing from the Guggenheim, the next, you're helping me take down some goons, and then you're stealing again. Please make up your mind!"

"You forgot the jumping from rooftops part!" Cat pointed out.

"The point I'm trying to make is, you're obviously nothing like the other weirdoes that I've fought," said the web slinger. "So, why _do _any of this in the first place?"

"Why," Cat laughed. "Because it's fun! I find what I do to be good sport."

"You call kicking me of a ledge _good sport_," Spider-Man asked. "That's laughable!"

"That's different," Cat started strutting toward Spider-Man, as if she were an erotic dancer. She then threw her arms over the hero's shoulders. "I wanted to see if I was as strong as you."

"What're you doing, Cat?"

"You know, I always wondered what you look like under this mask," Cat spoke in a deep, seductive tone. "Why bother hiding at all? Someone's going to figure it out sooner or later."

"Cat, please!" Spider-Man could feel Cat's figures rubbing his neck, possibly searching for the crease that separated the mask from the costume.

"You don't have to be so self-conscious," Cat leaned in further so she was almost touching her nose to Spider-Man's. "Tell you what; how about I take off your mask, and you take off mine?"

This was definitely different from any of the past battles that Spider-Man had endured over the years. It appeared that Black Cat was actually making the moves on the confused hero. Confused?! Spider-Man was feeling more along the line of distracted by Cat's advances. It dawned on him that this woman was drawn to him, so much so that she was willing to reveal her identity to him. There was a moment when Spider-Man, when Peter, wanted to unmask right then and there, just to see what Black Cat looked like. Meanwhile, Black Cat had located the crease that separated mask from suit and slowly started pulling it upward. Peter wanted to stop her, knew he needed to stop her, but he felt paralyzed. He was instead absentmindedly reaching for Cat's facemask. Cat removed the lower half of the mask and began leaning forward. Before she could plant one on the hero's lips, Black Cat suddenly pulled away at the last second and held her head in shame.

"I… I'm sorry," she said in a highly apologetic tone. "I didn't mean for it to go this far. It… it was just supposed to be…"

"Cat, it's okay!" Spider-Man said, pulling his mask back down. He couldn't tell if he was trying to convince Cat or himself.

"It's not okay, spider," Cat insisted, clearly appalled by her actions. "None of this was supposed to happen," Cat started backing away slowly, shaking her head in denial. "I have to go. I'm sorry, Spider-Man!" Cat shot out a wire and jumped off the ledge.

"Black Cat, wait…" Spider-Man called out, too late as Black Cat was already gone.

What in the blue hell was that all about? Spider-Man was left leaning against the wall in an utterly shocked and astonished state. He honestly never thought in his wildest dreams that Black Cat would attempt to kiss him. It never once crossed his mind. Yet for some unfathomable reason, it almost felt right. Right!? Did Peter just think that? He was supposed to be getting married in three days to Mary Jane. The girl he'd been in love with since the first grade. Since before he even got his powers. At the same time, Spider-Man seemed to feel a sense of belonging with Black Cat. In a way, they were cut from the same cloth, although their motives were different. Obviously, Cat felt guilty about what she was about to do, which was why she bailed in the first place. Spider-Man just continued to stand alone, unsure of what to think of all that had transpired. One thought did rush through his mind like a tidal wave.

_Mary Jane is going to kill me!

* * *

_Author's note: This would be the part where all our collective minds go, "OH SH*T!" Well, I imagine you all know what to do by now, so let know what you think.


	14. Eye Of The Storm

Disclaimer: Me again! A big Thank You goes out to the supporters who stuck with me so far. YOU ROCK! Anyways, here's the next chapter and no, I don't own the rights to Spider-Man.

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Chapter XIV  
Eye of the Storm

Michael Morbius wasn't normally a secretive person, except when the situation pertained to his own private works. As such, no one was aware of his private laboratory in the Columbia University clock tower, save for Felicia. Where was Felicia anyway? Probably on some last minute errand, Michael thought. Michael had his own project to attend to, which included the numerous cages of live bats and a microscope on the nearby tabletop. Most of the flying rodents were asleep and they were generally harmless to humans. A lot of Michael's closest colleagues often questioned the interest in the nocturnal mammals. Michael had his reasons of course, though he kept them to himself. But at the moment, Michael was concerned with the blood sample on the microscope slide. Michael stopped and reached to his side and took a small sip from a Pepsi can before going back to his work. He balked at his current findings and reached across the table, grasping a tape recorder. Somewhat obsolete, but useful nevertheless.

"Prof. Morbius' personal recording, the time is 10:33 PM. Preliminary findings on mutations within the genetic structuring of the bats have been met with mixed results" Michael said into the recorder." However, I remain confident that I can find an irregularity in these blood samples. With any luck, I'll discover the anti-bodies that will, presumably eliminate the virus that plagues my childhood village, the origin of which remains unknown."

Michael set the recorder down on the table and took another sip of the Pepsi cola before returning to work. The lab was, for the most part, rather quiet. The only sound was that of a faint breeze from an open window. Wait a minute! Michael didn't remember opening the window and walked over to it. He looked out briefly and got a reasonably decent view of the university campus. Nothing out of the ordinary. Michael probably opened the window and forgot about it afterwards. It happened; scientists tended to overlook certain things. Michael turned sharply to a faint noise in the background but found nothing out of sort.

He sighed to himself, "I'm getting paranoid."

Michael took a final look out the window before closing it and returning to his work. He glanced over his shoulder very briefly to make sure nothing was amiss. He sighed again when he noticed nothing wrong and went back on the microscope. Michael kept alternating between the scope and his beverage from time to time, lost in his own little world. He never noticed the gloved hand ever so slightly moving the soda can away. When Michael reached for the beverage, he never found it, instead taking the same gloved hand to his face. Michael crashed to the floor holding his mouth, which was bloodied from the blow. The Hobgoblin stood over him, stalking him like a predator and grabbing Michael by his lab coat. The ever sadistic villain dragged Michael to his feet and threw him up against a wall, coming face to face with him.

"You didn't think you'd escape my wrath, did you?" the Goblin snarled, head butting Michael directly in the nose.

Michael was thrown to the floor and tried to crawl backwards away from the approaching Goblin. "What are you doing, you maniac? What is the meaning of…?" Michael never finished his query when the Goblin stepped on his throat.

"I think you know exactly what this is about," the Goblin snapped. He lowered his face down to Michael's. "This is the price you pay for interfering in my business."

The Hobgoblin removed his foot from Michael's throat, but he wasn't close to finished. Michael rolled to his stomach and tried to pick himself up, and the Goblin kicked him in the midsection. The Goblin dragged Michael up off the floor and kneed him in the midsection again, and then drove his elbow into his face. Not even close to finished, the Goblin threw Michael over the tabletop, destroying the equipment that moments ago littered it. The commotion caused the then sleeping bats to go berserk, screeching and wildly flapping their leather wings. Michael again tried to get but the Goblin was on him again and pounded him relentlessly. The Goblin eventually became satisfied upon rendering Michael a mess on the floor. Michael barely moved an inch, and the Goblin mockingly kicked him before lowering to the level of Michael.

The Goblin pressed Michael head hard to the floor and said in a sadistic tone, "You only have Spider-Man to blame for this. I'm simply leaving him a very, clear message."

Michael was struggling to move as he defiantly stated, "Spider-Man is and will always be a hero and not a coward, unlike you, Goblin. He'll stop you, be certain of that."

Annoyed by this defiance, the Hobgoblin rammed Michael's face into the floor and stormed to a window. He shattered it, the glass shard barely nicking him if at all and his glider was waiting. The Goblin hopped onto the glider and without even glancing back, lightly tossed a pumpkin bomb into the lab. The Goblin rocketed away, while Michael came face to face with the copper ball which was already counting down.

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Black Cat hated herself. She came to a stop atop a rooftop not far from the university and literally yanked off his mask and sat down. What the blazes was Felicia think when she very nearly kissed Spider-Man? Felicia was skirting the thin line of ethics with her double life as it was, acting as the love interest to Michael Morbius and as a costumed cat burglar. But by God, Felicia came within an eyelash of betraying Michael by making out with the web slinger. So why and how did it feel right? How would Felicia be able to face Michael?

_Michael is going to kill me._

As Felicia continued to ponder how exactly she would explain her action, she heard a slightly muffled boom from a short distance away. She scanned the area and found the source of the sound. It came from the clock tower at the university and Felicia's eyes widened in shock when she saw a cloud of smoke. She thought for reason that it was just some college seniors messing with some cherry bomb. But then another, more terrifying thought crossed Felicia mind.

"Michael!"

Felicia didn't waste anytime, putting her eye mask on and dove off the rooftop toward the scene. Whatever was going through Felicia's mind before was just as quickly washed away. Those thoughts of betray toward Michael were replaced with fear and concern for him. Cat swung and bounded across the rooftop as fast as her legs could carry her until she reached the slanted rooftop of one of the university building. She very quickly shot a wire to the wide opening that the explosion caused and leaped toward it. When Cat reached the top, she found that Michael's lab was utterly destroyed. The equipment, even most of Michael's bats were gone. Just gone! Cat searched the wreckage feverishly. She heard a faint moaning and found Michael face down on the floor, on the other side of the mostly destroyed table. He may have been able to avoid being blown to bits by the Goblin's bomb. Cat immediately rushed to Michael's aid and turned him over, noticing the numerous injuries. These were inflicted prior to the blast, of that Cat was sure.

"Michael, Michael wake up," Felicia, not Cat, begged and pleaded for Michael to be alive. "Please, wake up, it's me," Cat pulled her mask off, not caring in the least if Michael found out. "It's Felicia!"

Michael finally but faintly opened his eyes, gazing into the familiar eyes of Felicia. "F…Felicia!?"

"Oh my God, Michael," Felicia apologized ever so profusely, fighting back the tears that were welling up in her eyes. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

Michael coughed up blood as he tried to speak. "Goblin."

"Don't try to speak, Michael." Felicia pleaded.

"It was…the Goblin." Michael said anyway.

Felicia watched Michael slip into a state of unconsciousness before she heard the blaring sirens of police cruisers. She couldn't face the police for the obvious reason of their discovering her identity as Black Cat. She also couldn't have Michael be branded as either an accomplice or a victim. Felicia needed to get Michael out of there now, so she put her mask back on and pulled Michael to his feet. Second later, Felicia was gone with Michael, never noticing the lone bat emerging from a dark corner. The mammal flew around the destroyed lab for a moment before coming to rest beside a small pool of blood left by Morbius.

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By 11:05 PM that same evening, Peter was definitely feeling at the lowest of lows. He was supposed to having the biggest day of his life with Mary Jane, and now he was sitting beside Aunt May in a hospital bed. The television monitor was on but the volume was low. Mary Jane was sleeping in a chair across from Peter. Bless her soul! The doctor had declared her stable but unconscious, saying all that could be done was give her time. Naturally, Peter blamed himself for May's condition, just like he blamed himself for Uncle Ben's death. And who was to say that he wasn't responsible for Harry's death? Mary Jane would've told him that. Peter was feeling a little guiltier knowing that he hadn't told MJ of his most recent encounter with Black Cat. Why did Cat try to kiss him? Why did she ditch at the last second? Why did it seem to feel right?

Peter bent his head back and stared at the ceiling, thinking, _Am I being a traitor to Mary Jane? She's my fiancée for God's sake and I'm daydreaming about another woman. In a skin tight leather costume!_

Mary Jane suddenly awoke from her slumber and noticed Peter's turmoil. "You okay, Peter?"

Peter was slightly startled by MJ but managed to say, "Yeah, I'm just tired. I've been thinking about you told me at Ned's funeral."

"Yeah, about that," MJ said. "I shouldn't have said any of that about Ben Parker."

"But you were right, MJ," Peter said. "Uncle Ben wouldn't ever approve of me recent behavior. He wouldn't want me to give up like this."

Peter glanced up at the TV and a look of shock was painted on his face. The picture showed Columbia University and police surrounding. Peter thought for a brief moment the Lizard had reemerged until he noticed the clock tower being quarantined. There was a plume of smoke coming from the top of the tower, and Peter quickly turned up the volume so he could hear the news.

_"Details are sketchy at this time but it is believed that this attack on the school was perpetrated by the Hobgoblin. No injuries have been reported so far, although one school professor, Michael Morbius, is missing,"_ the anchorman stopped for a moment and then said, _"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm being told now that we are cutting to a video we've just received."_

The video appeared to have shot in a dark room somewhere out of the way and the Hobgoblin was there, hiding in the shadows. "Spider-Man, I know you caught that broadcast, so listen up. When this whole ordeal between us started, I began a crusade to unmask you as the coward and the hypocrite that you are. The lengths I've gone to have resulted in numerous deaths and after a while, it had gotten so…boring."

Boring?! Peter found that to the ultimate insult coming from this narcissistic maniac. But then again, the Goblin didn't seem to take a particular pleasure in murder. At least not on the surface! It occurred to Peter that maybe the Hobgoblin was simply killing those people to prove his point, regardless of cruelty. No, murder was murder and the Goblin was the one to blame for all of this garbage. Peter thought no more of the past and kept watching the video.

"I had grown tired of this tedium and I know you have too, Spider-Man," the Goblin continued. "So I propose we put an end to this insanity. Meet me at the top of the Empire State Building at midnight. One way or another, this issue between us ends tonight! Oh, and Spider-Man," the Goblin leaned forward and his yellow face was made visible. "Don't make me wait!"

The video cut out after that, leaving Peter stunned but ultimately fuming. Mary Jane could sense Peter's anger and placed a hand on his shoulder. She thought for only a brief moment that Peter would turn around and knock her down. He'd done it before when he had the symbiote, thus not being himself that night. Peter didn't as much as glance at Mary Jane, instead storming out of the room into the hall.

"Peter, wait!" MJ called out as Peter disappeared.

Mary Jane followed Peter out the door into hall. Peter was almost racing down the hall like a blur and Mary Jane found it difficult to keep up with him. Peter eventually entered a storage room and Mary Jane caught up to him. She knew exactly what was happening in there and thus was apprehensive about entering. Mary Jane did so anyway. Peter was indeed dressed in his costume when Mary Jane entered. They exchange glances before Peter finished suiting up while MJ closed the door.

"Please don't try to stop me, Mary Jane," Peter said. "I have to bring this to an end, for Aunt May's sake."

Mary Jane didn't speak and instead embraced Peter, hugging him tighter than she hugged anyone in her life. "I wouldn't of stopping you," Mary Jane leaned in and kissed Peter deeply. Whatever thoughts Peter had regarding Black Cat were washed away by Mary Jane. MJ broke the kiss and whispered, "Go get 'em, Tiger!"

Peter nodded, releasing Mary Jane and jumping up to an open skylight. He pulled on his mask and looked at Mary Jane one last time. A moment later, Peter was out of sight. Mary Jane stepped out of the storage room and put her hand over her mouth, trying to keep herself from crying. She inwardly wondered if that was the very last time she'd be with Peter. Mary Jane regained her composer and started back to Aunt May's room. She caught movement in the vacant room and slowly moved to it without considering the consequences. Mary Jane peaked in and saw the body of a man, badly beaten but still breathing. MJ recognized him as Michael Morbius and then saw the silhouette of a woman crouching on a window sill. They locked eyes.

"Take care of him for me." said the woman before disappearing into the night.

Mary Jane rushed to the window to catch a brief glimpse of Black Cat before turning to Michael. Why? Why would Black Cat stick her neck out for a man she didn't know? Technically, Cat saved Mary Jane once in the past and seemed rather cavalier. But when they exchanged glances, Mary Jane seemed to see concern from Cat for Michael. Then it hit her and her deductive powers kicked in.

"Felicia?!"

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Spider-Man soared above the city streets on route to his destination. It most certainly wasn't hard to find at this late in the evening. The Empire State Building loomed like a shadow over New York, and a rumble of thunder indicated a coming storm. But the hero wasn't thinking about how tall the building was or the weather. He was thinking about caving in the Hobgoblin's face. The Goblin would deserve it, after all of the atrocities he'd committed. Spider-Man swung on toward the New York's tallest building, not noticing Black Cat steadily catching up to him. Cat had as much at stake as Spider-Man. This was personal for both of them, and they couldn't know it. Spider-Man came to rest on the observation deck just beneath the looming spire and waited. It was almost midnight and there was no sign of the Goblin. Spider-Man was getting antsy, balling his fist and breathing heavy. A noise from behind startled him, and Spider-Man quickly turned and fired a web line. The line was dodged by the just appearing Black Cat.

"Cat, I don't have time for this."

"This isn't what you might think, spider," Cat said. "I want the Goblin as badly as you do."

Spider-Man didn't have an idea what to make of this. First, Cat tried to make the moves on him, and now this. "This isn't your fight. This is between me and the Goblin."

"I've got as much riding on this as you," Cat spat out. She was, as Spider-Man noticed, far more serious than she was before. "The Goblin hurt someone I care about. Someone I love. But I guess you wouldn't understand."

Now that hurt! Spider-Man understood better than he would let on. "You're wrong, Cat. I do understand, better than you know. But the Goblin wants me, and I don't want your death on my hands."

Cat lowered her head in shame, and then screamed, "Dammit! What the hell good am I anyway? I have these talents, this great power and I can't use, not even to save the ones I love the most. It's just like my father."

"Your father," Spider-Man asked. "You never mentioned him."

"I think…" Cat said. "That's a story for another time. How do you deal with it? Being what you are?"

"Trust me, it's been hard," Spider-Man answered calmly. "I've wanted to give it all so many times and I nearly did. But I've learned time and again that with great power, there must come great responsibility."

Cat shook her head and said, "That's no help to me."

Spider-Man didn't know what else to say, at least not until his spider-sense went off. "Look out!" he shouted and pushed Cat away just before a pumpkin bomb impacted and blew them in opposite directions.

The Hobgoblin appeared in the night sky as Spider-Man and Black Cat tried to stand up. "Aw, the arachnid and the feline. How romantic. I'll bury you both together."

The Hobgoblin didn't waste time talking after that and tossed two more bombs toward Spider-Man and Black Cat. They were just able to dodge the devices and Cat went right for the Goblin. The Goblin dodged an initial blow but Cat managed to land on the glider and started pounding the villain relentlessly. Spider-Man managed to recover just as the Goblin threw Cat off of him, although Cat saved herself with a wire. Spider-Man fired a web line to the Goblin's chest. The Goblin pulled hard and Spider-Man yanked, but Spider-Man overshot the Goblin kicked him in the back of the head. Spider-Man fired a web line at the steel spire and swung around it, fire web spheres at the Goblin. The spheres nailed the Goblin several times, yet he was able to answer with razor bats. One bat sliced threw the web line but the hero still saved himself with another line. Meanwhile, Black Cat was back on the attack, shooting a wire at the underside of the glider. She climbed up the wire quick as her namesake and headlocked the Goblin. Her grip was tight but the Goblin drove his elbow into her stomach and threw her off of him. Cat went flying into the waiting arms of Spider-Man.

"That's the second time I've had to save you."

Cat smiled and quipped, "Don't get used to it."

Spider-Man's spider-sense went off again, and Spider-Man didn't have time to dodge the oncoming bomb before it detonated. The shock wave sent him and Cat careening toward the observation deck where they crashed hard. The Hobgoblin hovered over his foes, enjoying the chaos, while Spider-Man slowly picked himself up. His costume was slightly shredded from the explosion as turned toward Black Cat. Her costume was shredded as well and she wasn't moving. Spider-Man checked to see if Cat had a pulse but there wasn't time to do anything for her, not with the Hobgoblin hovering overhead and inching closer. Spider-Man laid Cat down slowly and stood his ground as the Goblin sneered at him. On top of it all, it started raining heavily.

The Goblin snarled to Spider-Man, "It's just you and me now, kid!"

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Author's note: CLIFFHANGER! The final battle is coming so stay tuned. Or else! HA HA HA! Happy 4th of July!


	15. Endgame

Disclaimer: As you might've guessed, I don't own the rights to Spider-Man. But who does? Marvel Comics, duh! So begins the final battle, enjoy.

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Chapter XV  
Endgame

The heavy rain poured. Lightning streaked across the clouded sky and thunder sounded all around. The bad weather was the last thing on Spider-Man's mind as he was thrown off the observation deck of the Empire State Building. Spider-Man looked up to see the Hobgoblin speeding after him. The villain hurled a series of razor bats in a frenzied pace. Spider-Man was able to kick most of the projectiles before snagging one with a web line. He fired a second line the snagged the underside of the glider just as the Goblin stopped short. Spider-Man used the first line to slingshot the razor bat right back toward the Goblin, and it scored a direct hit to the villain's shoulder. Another rumble of thunder sounded as the Hobgoblin yanked the razor bat from his shoulder, too late to see Spider-Man's feet connect with his face. The blow threw him off the glider for a moment, but the Hobgoblin was able to right himself. Spider-Man was swinging right toward him again with his feet extended. The Goblin countered this time, using his arm blades to cut through the web line. Spider-Man went flying through the air before getting slammed by the glider, sending him careening into the side of another building. The web slinger clung to the wall, but the Goblin hurled pumpkin bombs at him. Spider-Man dodged each bomb before it blew, staying clung to the wall at all times.

"You can't stay on that wall forever," the Goblin shouted. "You'll have to attack eventually."

"How about now?" Spider-Man shouted back and leaped off the wall.

Spider-Man lunged right the Hobgoblin but the Hobgoblin caught him and flipped him over his head. But Spider-Man took the Goblin down with him with a web line and pulled him right of the glider. The two foes tumbled end over end as they pounded each other. The glider must've had had an autopilot system because it was barreling toward the falling combatants. Spider-Man sensed it coming and swung out the way, while the Hobgoblin landed on the glider itself. The Hobgoblin gunned the engine and raced for Spider-Man and caught him. Again, they traded blows back and forth while soaring high above the city, knocking each other into the occasional scaffolding. Spider-Man jumped and kicked off the Goblin's shoulders to get clear for his next attack. The Goblin anticipated this and, with a well placed shot from his finger blasters, stunned the web slinger long enough to catch him in mid air. Spider-Man tried to get free with a few elbows to the Goblin's face, but Goblin refused to relinquish his death grip. The Goblin drove his own fist into Spider-Man's side until Spider-Man was able to reverse head butt himself free. The blow left the Hobgoblin momentarily dazed as Spider-Man leaped out of sight.

The Goblin shook off the cobwebs and saw no sign of Spider-Man. "You think hiding from me will help you?" the Goblin shouted. He scanned until he saw his reflection in the mirrored glass of a skyscraper. Another flash of lightning lit the sky, and the Goblin found Spider-Man clinging to, of all places, the underside of the glider.

"Peek-a-boo!" Spider-Man said, blinding the Goblin with webbing. Spider-Man leaped from the glider to building and watch the Goblin attempted to tear of the webbing. "Not so tough when you're flying blind, huh?"

"Too true," the Goblin said, obviously unable to see. But he could hear. "More fun to _fire_ blind!"

The Hobgoblin demonstrated the notion of _firing blind_, aiming random electric shots in every direction that Spider-Man might go. Spider-Man hopped, dodged, skipped and leaped to avoid the randomized blasts. That didn't work all that well and the hero was struck with a blast. The Hobgoblin removed the webbing from his face and soared after the falling hero, catching him by his leg. The Goblin cackled as he flew across the sky with Spider-Man in his grasp. Upon approaching another building, the Hobgoblin dragged Spider-Man across the brick and mortar of which it was made. The next skyscraper was of another make entirely. Spider-Man felt himself getting hurled right through a glass window, across an empty corner office and out the other side. The Hobgoblin was on him again just as quickly and caught him again. Spider-Man was able though to take the Goblin's feet out from under him. With a swift move, the web slinger threw his airborne enemy from the glider into the air and pouring rain. Spider-Man then snagged a nearby water tower via web line and swung free from the glider. The glider again automatically flew toward and saved the Hobgoblin, who continued his pursuit of Spider-Man.

Spider-Man landed upon a low rooftop, telling himself, "Well, at least I got him away from Black Cat! Now, if I can just get him off the planet!"

Just as Spider-Man said that, the Goblin was hovering up behind him. "You won't be rid of me that easy."

_Funny, I was just saying that! _Spider-Man thought.

The Hobgoblin gunned the glider's engine again and bolted right for Spider-Man. Spider-Man sprinted across the rooftop toward the edge and leaped, just miniscule moments before the Goblin took his head off. The Goblin stopped for a moment and scanned his surroundings, finding Spider-Man swinging above the busy streets. A pointless effort if the hero thought he'd lose the villain. The Hobgoblin sped after Spider-Man as they raced mere feet above the ground, with countless vehicles passing by. Both traded projectiles back and forth. Spider-Man periodically turned and fired web spheres, many of them impacting the Hobgoblin. The Hobgoblin was not to be outdone, throwing the more lethal razor bats back at Spider-Man. Many of the bats embedded into the oncoming vehicles. Spider-Man turned again and fire more web spheres when his spider-sense went off. He looked back and was nearly met with the grill of a tour bus. He web zipped straight up to avoid the oncoming vehicle, while the Hobgoblin barrel rolled to the side. The Goblin himself nearly impacted a low hanging bridge but ducked beneath it, coming out the other end.

Out of nowhere, Spider-Man landed right on top of the Hobgoblin. "Surprise!"

"You get the blazes off of me, insect!" the Goblin demanded.

Again, they traded blows back and forth while constantly weaving in between traffic. The Goblin was able to throw Spider-Man off of him, and Spider-Man landed onto the roof of a moving 18 wheeler. The Goblin was still hot on his trail as Spider-Man fired off more web spheres. Being airborne as he was, the Hobgoblin was able to avoid the spheres. Being essentially grounded worked against Spider-Man as the Goblin fired more electric blasts. He was at least able to avoid the blasts, all of which left a series of scorch marks on the trailer. Spider-Man spotted another bridge getting closer and he leaped over it with every once of leg strength he possessed. Upon landing back atop the trailer, Spider-Man looked back and sure enough, the Hobgoblin was still tailing him. Spider-Man returned his vision to the front and realized he was approaching the Queens-Midtown Tunnel. The Hobgoblin would've been crazy to follow him in. Spider-Man clung to the tail end of the trailer just as the rig entered the tunnel. The Goblin ended up proving the hero's theory of being crazy, diving directly into the tunnel after Spider-Man.

"I'm still here, Spider-Man." he announced, his voice echoing through the tunnel.

"Yeah, I noticed." Spider-Man shouted back.

The Hobgoblin hurled more pumpkin bombs at Spider-Man, none of which coming close to reaching him. The incendiary spheres did explode upon hitting the road, causing several vehicles to crash into each other. Spider-Man didn't have nearly enough time to worry, not with the Goblin now hurling more razor bats toward him. The hero moved to the right side of the trailer just as the bats embedded into rear doors. The Goblin proved relentless in his manic pursuit through the busy tunnel. He skillfully passed in between cars and threw another razor bat. Spider-Man hugged the surface of the trailer and let the razor bat pass inches from his chest. It still left its mark, slashing the across the costume insignia.

_I've heard of countries with smaller arsenals than this,_ Spider-Man thought. He looked forward and saw the exit of the tunnel. _Light at the end of the tunnel! Literally!_

Spider-Man sensed another attack coming from the Hobgoblin in the form of another razor bat. The bat passed by Spider-Man and he quickly snagged it with a web line. The Goblin had just thrown another bat and simply didn't count on Spider-Man sling shooting the first bat back at him. The two projectiles collided, causing a small explosion that the Hobgoblin flew right through. Once he was clear, the Hobgoblin looked up and saw that Spider-Man was gone from the 18 wheeler. The Goblin flew out of the tunnel exit into the still pouring rain, and something snagged the glider from behind. The Hobgoblin looked back and sure enough, Spider-Man had indeed webbed the rear of the glider. The Goblin gunned the engine and raced through the pouring rain, taking Spider-Man with him. Spider-Man held on for dear life as the Goblin flew across treetops. Try as he might, Spider-Man couldn't quite avoid all of the trees.

You still awake back there?" the Goblin mockingly asked.

The Goblin looked to see if Spider-Man was still hanging on. Oh, he was hanging on all right! He was also literally skipping across the treetops. The Hobgoblin saw the display of agility to be most impressive. It wouldn't have been enough to allow Spider-Man to live. Spider-Man noticed he was running out of trees, and that the Goblin was fast approaching the East River. Thinking fast, Spider-Man fired a web line that caught the underside of the glider and he leaped as far as humanly possible. Once he was soaring over the river, the Goblin and saw no sign of Spider-Man. He assumed the web slinger to be dead, only for Spider-Man to climb onto the glider and face the Goblin head on. The foes slugged it out back and forth as they raced above the river waves toward the Queensboro Bridge.

"You just don't know when to quit, do you?" the Goblin snarled before taking a hard left hook to his face.

"Maybe you should take your own advice!" Spider-Man retorted.

The Goblin extended his arm blades and took a wide slash that just missed its mark. "Sorry, but that's not likely to happen."

The Hobgoblin slashed wildly at Spider-Man with three curved blades, and Spider-Man dodged them each time while remaining on the glider. It annoyed the Goblin greatly, knowing that the web slinger wouldn't simply stand there and take it. The dueling enemies eventually flew below the Queensboro Bridge. It occurred briefly to Spider-Man just how similar this battle was to his face off with the Green Goblin at the 59th Street Bridge. The Goblin gunned the engine and started to climb in altitude and Spider-Man instinctively attempted to leap away. It was something the Hobgoblin anticipated and he swiftly grabbed the hero's leg. He triggered the circuitry within his glove, sending a jolt of electricity through Spider-Man entire body. The jolt paralyzed Spider-Man and the Goblin let him go. Allowing Spider-Man to fall toward the river, the Hobgoblin brandished a cable from his belt and used to catch Spider-Man in mid air. The Goblin tied the other end of the cable to the bridge underside, and Spider-Man was left hanging upside down.

The Goblin hovered in front of the defenseless hero, mockingly grinning from ear to ear. "So, what do you think of _my web,_" The Goblin didn't expect to get an answer, and his grin become a scowl of malice. "What, clown? No quick comebacks? No clever one-liners," The Goblin took a cheap shot at Spider-Man, backhanding him and spinning him around. He took the hero by the face and snarled, "Humiliated yet? You don't know the meaning of the word."

The Hobgoblin took a series of cheap shots at the defenseless Spider-Man, one right after the other. He circled around Spider-Man like a buzzard hungry for blood and flesh, jetting past him and striking him in the face at random moments. Spider-Man couldn't defend himself in his paralyzed state. He'd need time to recover and time was a luxury the Hobgoblin wouldn't allow him to have. The hero did begin to feel his fingers move ever so slightly but at this rate, he'd be dead. He could see the Hobgoblin approaching from far away, ready to deliver the final, killing blow. This was it, he thought. He fought the good fight. No one could've done better.

The Goblin raced toward his target with his electrically charged blade out, and he shouted, "And now, Spider-Man, as befits an adversary of you caliber, I grant you a death with dignity."

Spider-Man closed his eyes and waited for the Goblin's killing blow. But it never came. Spider-Man could just barely hear a loud commotion and whatever it was, it drove off the Hobgoblin for at least a moment. A moment that the hero so desperately needed. He opened his eyes slightly and saw movement through the filters of his mask and then darkness followed. He opened his eyes again after what felt a prolonged sleep and stared into the cloudy sky. He could felt the light rain pelting against his mask and realized that was now at the top of the bridge.

_How did I get up here, _Spider-Man thought. _Am I dead?_

The web slinger finally got an answer when Black Cat appeared over him. "Though I'd save you for a change."

"Cat, you're literally a sight for sore eyes." Spider-Man managed to quip.

"I'll handle the Goblin," Cat said. "You just stay here and recover."

Cat jumped onto a ledge overlooking the street below, and Spider-Man held out a hand. "Don't Cat. He'll kill you."

Cat looked back at Spider-Man and said, "Hey, at least I'll still have eight more lives."

Black Cat leaped from the ledge toward the street, being suspended via wire. When she reached the bottom, Cat scanned the immediate area and found no sign of the Hobgoblin. He was there, she though, hiding in plain sight. The glider was hovering just inches from the ground, and Cat knew the Goblin would have to make a move to get to it. Then a pair of lights shined on Cat and she turned to see a car came right at her, driven in maddening recklessness by the Hobgoblin. Black Cat sprinted over the car just as it approached her and the car slammed right into the guardrail and over the edge. The Goblin managed to get out in time and get to his glider and took to the air, hovering over Black Cat.

"This wasn't your fight, pussycat doll."

"What can I say," Cat asked mockingly. "I've got a knack for showing up where I'm not wanted."

The Hobgoblin was nearly interested at listening to Cat, nor was he amused. He startled hurling pumpkin bombs to the woman, but Cat avoided the bombs in graceful fashion. She'd performed a series of acrobatic maneuvers; back flips, cartwheels and somersault over parked vehicles. Not only was she displaying cat quickness, she was also thoroughly infuriating the Goblin.

"Hold still, dammit!"

"Um, no!"

Black Cat leaped high into the brisk night air and kicked right the Goblin toward the bridge support cables. The Goblin fired electric bolts at Cat, but she dodged them effortlessly while from cable to cable. Cat shot out a wire and swung beneath the bridge archway with the Hobgoblin flying after her. The Hobgoblin stopped short of the archway but reacted too late to when Cat surprise him with a swinging kick. She connected hard with his face and sent the Goblin spinning. The Goblin stopped and was slightly dizzy, but reacted in timely fashion to another Cat attack and caught her.

"You should learn to play nice, kitty cat." he snarled.

"Sorry to disappoint," Cat said, laughing. "But I'm not a nice kitty."

Black Cat did what any self respecting woman would do in her position; she nailed the Goblin in the groin. The Goblin crimson eyes went wide and he involuntarily gunned the engine. The glider raced under the archway and then climbed straight up, reaching the bridge apex. Spider-Man was still recovering when he spotted the glider coming right at him. He did recover enough to move out of the way, while the Hobgoblin and Black Cat went flying off the glider. The Goblin rolled to one side while Cat stopped herself from going over the edge. The Goblin pulled himself up off the ground, holding his manhood. Cat was on him right away, delivering and scoring with various punches, kicks and everything in between. The Goblin couldn't come close to matching Cat's skills, so he instead went the dirty route. He drove the palm of his glove into Cat's side and jolted her into paralysis. Cat fell onto the Goblin's arm and he pushed her right over the edge.

"NO!" Spider-Man protested, too late to help Black Cat as she disappeared over the edge.

The Goblin arrogantly brushed off his hands, stating, "I never _did_ like cats."

The Hobgoblin was all too ill prepared for a fully recovered, and enraged, Spider-Man to tackle him to the ground hard. The enemies rolled across the ground and uncontrollably went over the edge themselves. They landed on top of the giant suspension cable that held the bridge together. It was slippery due the earlier storm, but Spider-Man was to cling to it. The Hobgoblin couldn't, instead using his arm blades to save himself. He couldn't quite pull himself to safety, but Spider-Man yanked him up. The Goblin immediately started shooting more electric bolts at Spider-Man, who had to back flip away. The Goblin secretly had a pumpkin bomb in his hand and tossed it. It detonated and threw Spider-Man from the suspension cable, although he held on to one of the smaller cables. The Hobgoblin hit a switch on his glove, remotely activating the glider. Spider-Man tried to get to the Goblin but was beset the passing glider, on which the Goblin boarded.

"Let's get this over with!" the Goblin shouted.

"My sentiments exactly!" Spider-Man whispered.

Spider-Man fired a web line and swung beneath the archway of the bridge, with the Goblin right behind him. The web slinger turned and swung back the villain, feet extended but the Goblin dodged. The Goblin threw a razor bat that cut through the line and Spider-Man fired another one. Another razor bat was coming right at him and Spider-Man caught it. The hero clung to the wall and started climbing as fast as possible toward the top. The Hobgoblin took to flying by Spider-Man at random moments, trying to knock him off. Spider-Man knew he couldn't outmaneuver the Goblin so he kept climbing until he reached the top of the bridge. He webbed up the razor bat and waited. The Hobgoblin was rocketing right toward him.

"Endgame, Spider-Man!"

The Hobgoblin dove and flew right over Spider-Man, after which Spider-Man leaped to the underside of the glider. He jammed the razor bat into the engine and leaped off. The Goblin never noticed or questioned why and gunned the engine again. Big mistake! The razor bat exploded and caused a blowback that shorted out the engine. Fire spewed from the glider as the Hobgoblin tried to regain control. But it was too late! The Hobgoblin spiraled down toward the river and crashed, causing a large wall of water to shoot straight up into the night air. Then nothing. Spider-Man was crouched atop the bridge, watching and breathing heavily. He was sure that he heard the Goblin protesting before the crash.

"That was for aunt May." he said.

His thoughts then shifted to Black Cat and he swung toward were she might've fallen. Spider-Man reached the street and saw no sign of Cat's body, if she were dead at all. His heart sank at the thought of having lost another friend. Yes, Cat was, in fact, a friend. Spider-Man saw a tiny object of the street. He picked and realized it was Cat's eye mask. Maybe Black Cat survived. Spider-Man couldn't be sure and so he dropped the mask down to the river before swinging back toward New York. He never saw Felicia Hardy standing behind one of the cables, in full costume except for her mask. Then she vanished without a trace. Down in the river, a grotesque looking yellow mask floated on the surface and then slowly disappeared beneath the waves. One way or another, it was finally over. The Hobgoblin was gone, hopefully forever.

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Author's note: I had no idea this chapter was going to be so long. I guess I really, really burn the night oil on this one. This was just the final battle. The ending chapter is one the way, so stay tuned. Don't forget to review!


	16. Life After The Here And Now

Disclaimer: This is it: the final chapter to Spider-Man 5. I still don't own Spider-Man, by the way. Peter and MJ finally tie the knot. I'm not that good with weddings, so bare with me. You might want to pay close attention, for the true identity of the Hobgoblin will FINALLY be revealed. If you happened to guess who it was, well, I guess I'll have to kill you. Just kidding! Maybe!

Oh, and be on the look out for a special cameo appearance. You've been warned.

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Chapter XVI  
Life After The Here And Now

It was early in the morning, about 6:15 AM, and the sun was just starting to emerge from its slumber. Peter was exhausted after his lengthy citywide battle with the Hobgoblin. He hoped with every fiber of his being that that madman was gone for good. Then there was the whereabouts of Black Cat, and that was assuming that she survived at all. Peter held out hope that she did as he forced himself down the hall of the hospital. He arrived at aunt May's room and opened the door. Mary Jane was still there, having fallen asleep across from May's bed. Peter slowly crept up to MJ and gently took her hand in his. MJ stirred from her slumber and hugged Peter upon seeing him.

"Thank God, you're still with us, Peter," she whispered, loud enough for Peter to hear her. "The Goblin; is he…"

"He's gone," Peter said, although he wasn't fully convinced. "Thanks for staying with aunt May."

"You know I would've stayed anyway," MJ said. "After everything that's happened, how could I ever leave?"

A doctor entered the room, finding Peter and Mary Jane embracing by the window. "Mr. Parker, isn't it?"

"Yeah!"

The doctor, Dr. Trent according to his id, nodded to Peter and then approached aunt May with a stethoscope in hand. He immediately began checking May for a pulse while Peter and Mary Jane. The passing minutes were quite tense. Peter in particular wasn't sure if he could handle it, not after the war he endured prior. Dr. Trent removed the stethoscope and approached Peter.

"How is she, doctor?"

Dr. Trent briefly cleared his throat and said, "Still the same, but thankfully, she's in stable condition. If I may ask you, where've you been?"

Peter stammered on the question. "I, um, kind of got caught in a few things."

"More important than this," Dr. Trent chastised, looking briefly back May. He sighed, "Well, it can't really be helped. Oh, and you friend, Miss Hardy, offered to cover the hospital bill in full. Be sure to thank her for us when you next see you."

Peter nodded as Dr. Trent left the room, while Mary Jane stammered to tell Peter about Felicia. What would he think if she told him that it was possible that Felicia could very well had been Black Cat all along? Mary Jane wasn't sure of it herself and she ultimately let it go. Still, it was possible. Peter probably wouldn't have cared at any rate. Instead, he pulled up a seat by May bedside and took her hand in his own. Then, aunt May seemed to begin stirring, and Peter took immediate notice. May finally opened her eyes and upon seeing Peter, smiled.

"Peter!" she said weakly.

"Aunt May," Peter said, trying to hold back the tear welling in his eyes. "I thought I'd lost you."

"I've had the most wonderful dream," May said. "I saw your uncle Ben again, smiling. What are you doing here anyway?"

Peter laughed, stunned by May asking such an odd question. "What?!"

"You two should be getting married, not hovering over me like this."

"How," Peter asked. "How could I ever think about marriage after what the Hobgoblin did?"

"That doesn't matter," May said. "You shouldn't worry about an old girl like me. Now go get married, would you? You and Mary Jane have your own lives to live. Uncle Ben would be so proud."

Peter was so choked up by that point that he didn't know what else to say. Mary Jane came up to Peter and comforted him in front of a smiling aunt May. She was right about one thing; Uncle Ben would've been proud. And he was!

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Jean DeWolff stormed down the hollowed halls of L. Thompson Lincoln's estate with four NYPD officers. She had the morning addition of the Daily Bugle underneath her right arm, so her presence at Lincoln's estate was one of shear purpose. DeWolff reached the double doors of Lincoln's and stormed right in. Lincoln was at his desk working on a laptop computer, and he didn't look the least bit thrilled of seeing DeWolff for the umpteenth time.

"This is becoming rather tedious, DeWolff," he said without looking up. "I have nothing further to discuss with you."

"Good, because nothing you tell me is going to matter anymore," DeWolff slapped the newspaper onto the desk, and Lincoln took a long look at it. The byline stared him directly in the face: BIG MAN EXPOSED. "Looks like the word's out on the Big Man."

Lincoln remained silent but cool-headed on the surface, but he had to be boiling inside. If that were possible! He stood up and said, "So it is."

Lincoln put his giant hands in front of him an allowed the hand cuffs to be placed on him. DeWolff half-expected the man mountain to break the cuffs and go on a rampage. But Lincoln remained surprisingly restrained as he walked around the desk. He came face to face with DeWolff and they traded icy glares.

"You better get yourself a damn good lawyer…Big Man." DeWolff said coldly.

"A single byline in the paper does ultimately nothing in the end," Lincoln calmly retorted. "You know I'll get out eventually."

"Yeah I know," DeWolff said. "You're a pretty high ranking guy, but with this news all over the city, you're going to have a tough time rebuilding your empire," DeWolff turned to her officers. "Get him out of my sight."

The officers followed the order to the letter and started escorting Lincoln toward the doors. If DeWolff was at all pleased with having finally arrested the Big Man, she did a great of not showing it. No sooner had the officers had Lincoln near the exit, they were unexpectedly stopped by a large group of soldiers. These soldiers were dressed in high tech suits that not even Jean DeWolff recognized. After they entered the office, DeWolff's officers pulled out their side arms, as did DeWolff.

"What in the hell is this," DeWolff said, pointing her gun at the nearest intruder. "Who are you people?"

"We'll take it from here, captain." said a voice from the doors. It sounded Russian. A red haired woman in a leather full body suit and jacket entered soon after.

DeWolff aimed at the approaching woman and spat out, "You got ten seconds to tell me who in the flying blue hell you people are."

"You can put the gun down, captain," the woman said. "We are taking Tombstone into custody from here on out."

"On whose authority?" DeWolff demanded.

"My authority!" another voice sounded, this one male.

A tall man in a black leather coat entered the office. He was clearly African-American, bald and wore an eye patch over his left eye. The soldiers that entered before saluted the man and he sauntered into the office. Lincoln glared intently at the man, as if he knew him. Very well! The man in the coat glared back at Lincoln, only with a slight smirk. Then he approached DeWolff and the other woman and stepped between them.

"Black Widow, take Tombstone out of here," he said. "I'll catch up with you soon enough."

The woman called Black Widow saluted the man and said, "Yes, sir!" She then said something in Russian and the soldiers took Tombstone away.

DeWolff, still with her gun out, shouted, "Would someone please tell what the hell is going on here?"

The man in the coat stepped up and told DeWolff, "Capt. Jean DeWolff, I'd like to personally thank for your assistance. We've been after Tombstone for several years since he took control of his empire from its previous owner."

DeWolff aimed the gun directly at the man's face and snarled, "You're not making a lot of sense."

"You honestly think Tombstone is the _only_ crime boss in the country?" the man asked.

"I'm only going to say this one more time," DeWolff said, her teeth clenched. "Tell me exactly who you people are."

The man simply smirked and calmly said, "Since you asked so nicely, my name's Nick Fury. I'm Director of Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division."

"Strategic what," DeWolff asked, confused and slowly pulling her gun down. "I never heard of that division."

"You can just call us S.H.I.E.L.D. and you'll hearing a lot from us," Fury cryptically said. As he started out the door, Fury said without turning," Oh, and if you happen to run into Spider-Man, tell him I said thanks. We'll be watching."

After that, Nick Fury disappeared past the doors, leaving Jean DeWolff in state of utter confusion. The questions began flooding her mind like Niagara Falls. Who the hell was Nick Fury? What the hell was S.H.I.E.L.D. and how come she'd never heard it? There were just too many questions and not nearly enough answers. For now, all Jean DeWolff could do was wait and see where the days went from there on out.

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Days later, the day had finally arrived for Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson. Both were understandably nervous all through the day as the beginning of the wedding ceremony approached. Many of their friends from high school were in attendance. Liz Allen and Sally Avril would serve as the bride's maid, while Flash Thompson was, of all things, the best man. He even took to stating that, "Puny Parker's all grown up." Aunt May was also among the guests, having recently been released from the hospital in good health. There were some noticeable absences. Felicia Hardy had returned with Michael Morbius to Europe. Batty Brant also did not attend, feeling uncomfortable with being around Peter even though she'd recently forgiven him. Fast forward to the here and now, Peter and Mary Jane were standing side by side, with the priest finishing the wedding blessing speech. Peter couldn't help but notice that the priest looked familiar.

"Do you, Mary Jane Watson, take this man to be your husband?"

Mary Jane smiled and said, "I do."

"And do you, Peter Benjamin Parker, take this woman to be your wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and health, so long as you both shall live?"

Peter stammered for a moment before finally saying, "I do."

The priest nodded and asked, "The ring, if you please?"

Flash handed the ring to Peter, leaned in and whispered, "You batter be good to her, Parker."

"Flash!" Sally whispered to Flash, who simply shrugged. Peter and MJ laughed a bit before Peter placed the ring on Mary Jane's finger.

"If there is anyone who deems these two should not be joined holy matrimony," the priest said. "Let them speak now or forever hold their peace."

For a few moments no one spoke, until… "I object to this!" J. Jonah Jameson shouted, much to his inherent lunacy. Luckily, Barbara Jameson yanked him down. Jonah was dumb enough to ask, "What? What I say?"

"Um," the priest stammered and recollected himself. "Then by the power bestowed on me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Mary Jane was beaming with excitement, as was Peter. As expected, they shared a kiss as the attendance stood up and applauded. Aunt May in particular was wiping the tears from her eyes. Johan was, at the moment, the only person not applauding. It took Mrs. Jameson's prodding to force him to applaud, though he still rolled his eyes in annoyance. Breaking the kiss, Peter and Mary Jane, now known as Mr. and Mrs. Parker, raced up the aisle toward the exit. Once outside, Mary Jane commenced with the traditional tossing of the bouquet and did so. The bouquet flew through the air before landing in the waiting arms of Liz Allen. Liz glanced at Flash, who had a worried look on his face. Mary Jane joined Peter as they hopped onto his scooter and raced off. Meanwhile, watching from atop a building adjutant from the church, Black Cat looked on. Nobody noticed her presence and she turned away. Looking back, Cat smiled and disappeared from sight.

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The Caribbean islands were a considerably good vacation spot the hustle and bustle of the big city. The beached were crowded, children was playing in the waves. The parents were on hand to ensure they wouldn't stray too far. There was but a small portion of the beach that was off limits to the public. A single individual sat alone in a beach house reading a newspaper, which interestingly enough, was from the Daily Bugle. An attractive young woman approached, holding a tray with a single glass on top of it.

"Big Man exposed, eh," the man whispered. "Good riddance!"

"Your drink, Mr. Kingsley."

Kingsley? As in Roderick Kingsley? The man lowered the newspaper and sure enough, it was Roderick Kingsley, alive and well. "Thank you, my dear."

"If I may be so bold," the woman asked. "Why would you fake your own death?"

Kingsley removed his sunglasses and said, "It would've made a lot of sense if I killed myself. People would ask questions if you think about it."

"But what about the _other_ Kingsley…"

"Oh, he played his part perfectly. If I'd let live, I'd had to pay him in full," Kingsley sighed. "Still, it was a shame to kill such a unique individual. He was quite the _master of disguise._ All in all, I think the Hobgoblin has earned a much deserved retirement."

The woman didn't asked anymore questions after that and left. Kingsley put his sunglasses back on and took a sip of his drink. Oh yes, murdering a look-a-like of himself was a necessary thing. It was necessary in order to ensure that no one ever, ever discovered that Roderick Kingsley was the man behind the Goblin all along. At least he didn't have to worry about Spider-Man anymore. Still, Kingsley found himself thinking that it would be interesting if the Hobgoblin ever returned. It could happen! Kingsley reached over and brought out a backpack. He opened it and pulled out a sickly yellow rubber mask.

With a grin that rivaled that of the Hobgoblin's, Roderick Kingsley thought. _Don't forget me, Spider-Man. I'm not going to forget you._

THE END

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Author's Note: It's all over, and the secret is out. Peter and MJ are finally married, Tombstone is out of the picture and most importantly, the Hobgoblin has been revealed. Master of disguise? Hm! I hope you don't mind the S.H.I.E.L.D. cameo. Hell, I hope you enjoyed reading this story stay tuned for the Cast chapter and don't forget to review.


	17. Cast of SPIDERMAN 5

Disclaimer: This is the official cast listing for Spider-Man 5. No, I don't own anything, so don't ask. The Ending song is "What Have We Done" by The Veer Union. Fantastic band but I don't own them.

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CAST

Spider-Man/Peter Parker-----------------Tobey Maguire

_(Snow falls in September, April feels like December, has hope left her forever, open up our narrow minds)_

Mary Jane Watson--------------------------Kirsten Dunst

_(Why do we hurt each other, we all bleed the same color, can we help one another, open up our narrow minds)_

May Parker-------------------------------Rosemary Harris

_(What Have We Done, Why do we watch the world that we have wasted, how long till we all erase it, What Have We Done, Can't you see, It's time for picking up the pieces before the ground just falls beneath us)_

J. Jonah Jameson-----------------------------JK Simmons

_(Open up our narrow minds)_

Hobgoblin/Roderick Kingsley----------------Sean Bean

_(We vote for someone to trust, and in the end we pay the price for them, we all need to be unbroken, open up our narrow minds)_

Ned Leeds-----------------------------------Sebastian Stan

_(Smoke fills the air we're breathing, we'll choke until the end is nearing, don't we know it isn't clearing, open up our narrow minds)_

Black Cat/Felicia Hardy------------------Cerina Vincent

_(What Have We Done, Why do we watch the world that we have wasted, how long till we all erase it, What Have We Done, Can't you see, It's time for picking up the pieces before the ground just falls beneath us)_

Tombstone/L. Thompson Lincoln---Michael Jai White

_(Why are we confused?)_

Jean DeWolff--------------------------------Naomi Harris

_(The world is used.)_

Michael Morbius--------------------------------Luke Goss

_(And we all need to… open up our narrow minds)_

Betty Brant--------------------------------Elizabeth Banks

_(What Have We Done, What Have We Done, What Have We Done)_

Joseph "Robbie" Robertson--------------------Bill Nunn

_(What Have We Done, Why do we watch the world that we have wasted, how long till we all erase it, What Have We Done, Can't you see, It's time for picking up the pieces before the ground just falls beneath us)_

Ted Hoffman--------------------------------------Ted Raimi

_(We vote for someone to trust, and in the end we pay the price for them, we all need to be unbroken, open up our narrow minds)_

Sally Avril-----------------------------Cameron Richardson

_(Smoke fills the air we're breathing, we'll choke until the end is nearing, don't we know it isn't clearing, open up our narrow minds)_

Liz Allen--------------------------------------Jessica Lucas

_(Open up our narrow minds)_

Shocker------------------------------------------Jake Weber

_(Open up our narrow minds)_

Store Clerk/Wedding Priest---------------Bruce Campbell

_(Open up our narrow minds)_

Newsstand Owner----------------------------------Stan Lee

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Author's Note: I'd like to send a shout out to any and all who took the time to read SPIDER-MAN 5. Thanks for the support and reviews. I'll be taking a much needed break from the writing gig but don't worry because I'll be back. In the meantime, if you happen to run into the web slinger, tell him _**we**_** will see him soon!**


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